Vijayawada airport targets October launch with hub-and-spoke model
Vijayawada Airport is closing in on the completion of a major new terminal that will enable hub-and-spoke international connectivity by October 2026, while business chambers simultaneously push for direct Gulf and regional feeder routes. On a separate front, the city hosted a state-level cine exhibitors forum that laid bare the depth of Andhra Pradesh's accelerating theatre-closure crisis.
🏢 New terminal to unlock hub-and-spoke international connections
Vijayawada Airport is on course to unveil a new terminal by October 2026, with airport director M Lakshmikanth Reddy confirming the facility will allow the city to function as a genuine hub under a hub-and-spoke model for international passengers. The terminal will feature six aerobridges and multi-level operations, a significant step up from the existing single-level layout that has struggled to accommodate growing traffic. The hub-and-spoke configuration would allow travelers arriving on international services to connect onward to secondary cities across Andhra Pradesh and the broader region without having to backtrack through Chennai or Hyderabad, cutting journey times for passengers in coastal Andhra districts. Airport authorities described the project as the most consequential infrastructure upgrade in Vijayawada aviation history, designed to serve the rising passenger numbers driven by the region's expanding economy and the large Andhra diaspora community based in Gulf countries. Stakeholders from commerce and industry have closely tracked the terminal's progress, viewing its completion as a prerequisite for airlines to seriously evaluate adding Vijayawada as a stop on international routes. Officials indicated that advanced passenger amenities included in the new facility will help position the airport competitively against larger South Indian hubs and signal to carriers that the city can support sustained international demand. [7]
🗳️ Business chambers seek Dubai route as Fly91 plans Tirupati link
Vijayawada's aviation ambitions extend beyond the terminal itself. The AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry, led by president Potluri Bhaskara Rao, held a formal meeting with airport director M Lakshmi Kantha Reddy on 5 September 2026 to formally request direct service to Dubai, a route long desired by the sizeable Andhra community working across the UAE. Rao said the Chamber has advocated for airport development for years and views Gulf connectivity as inseparable from regional economic progress, given the volume of remittances and passenger traffic that currently routes through Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai rather than Vijayawada. Airport officials received the request and said they would engage airline operators to explore demand viability. Simultaneously, regional carrier Fly91 announced plans to launch morning flights between Vijayawada and Tirupati, creating a direct air link to the pilgrimage city that has historically required passengers to undertake lengthy road journeys or connect through larger airports. Aviation authorities framed the Tirupati feeder and the prospective Dubai service as complementary developments: short-haul routes bring regional passengers into Vijayawada, who can then connect to the international services that industry groups are pushing carriers to introduce. Analysts noted that concrete airline commitments typically follow infrastructure milestones, making the October terminal completion a critical trigger for potential route announcements. [5]
🎬 AP cinema faces 400-theatre collapse as OTT and costs bite
Andhra Pradesh's film exhibition industry converged on Vijayawada to sound a collective alarm about the pace of theatre closures, with the AP Cine Exhibitors Forum reporting that approximately 400 screens have gone dark across the state in the past three to four years. The figure reflects an accelerating decline driven by overlapping pressures: electricity tariffs that have risen faster than box-office revenues, OTT streaming platforms that have shortened theatrical windows and conditioned audiences toward home viewing, and a shortage of commercially strong Telugu-language releases distributed across the calendar to keep exhibitors consistently viable. Forum members at the state-level meeting called on the government and the film industry to develop coordinated relief, including tax concessions for single-screen venues, revised revenue-sharing terms between producers and exhibitors, and a structured release calendar ensuring smaller theatres have access to viable content throughout the year. Representatives argued that the collapse of the exhibition network threatens not only livelihoods but also the cultural fabric of communities in smaller towns and district headquarters where a local theatre is often the primary form of organised public entertainment. Exhibitors called for a joint task force bringing together the state government, producers, and distributors to map a sustainable roadmap for the sector. Industry observers noted that the AP crisis mirrors trends seen across South India, but said Andhra Pradesh's regulatory environment has been slower than neighbouring states to respond with targeted support measures that could slow the closure rate. [9]
Sources: [7] Telangana Today · [5] The New Indian Express · [9] The New Indian Express