Largest MRO to come up at Bhogapuram: GM Rao

Visakhapatnam: Infrastructure conglomerate GMR Group on Friday announced the construction of one of the largest MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations) facility in the world and make the Bhogapuram International Airport near here operational by June, 2026, six months ahead of schedule.

Speaking at the first day of two-day CII Partnership Summit here, GM Rao, the founder of GMR Group who hails from Srikakulam district, said the Greenfield airport being built at Bhogapuram in Vizianagaram district, in the vicinity of Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam cities, by the GMR Visakhapatnam International Airport Limited (GVIAL), a subsidiary of GMR Airports Limited, the work on construction of the airport is going on at a brisk pace. He said Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ramamohan Naidu regularly reviewed the progress status and declared that they will make the airport operational by June, 2026.

Visakhapatnam International Airport is a civil enclave located on INS Dega Air Station of the Indian Navy. Once the Bhogapuram airport becomes operational, the Visakhapatnam airport will be exclusively operated for defence purposes. He said they are developing an integrated aerospace ecosystem in an area of 500 acres which will host a very large MRO. He said the airport once completed will attract OEMs, R&D institutes and startups.

The State Government earlier announced its resolve to set up an aviation university and skill university in the vicinity. Rammohan Naidu earlier said they are in talks with IndiGo for making Bhogapuram a strategic hub for its operations.