Visakhapatnam Roundup: New International Airport Inaugurated, First Semiconductor Plant Opens, Port Dominates Seafood Exports, and MILAN-2026 Launches
Visakhapatnam stood at the centre of national attention this week as Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the long-awaited Bhogapuram International Airport and Andhra Pradesh's first semiconductor manufacturing facility, while Visakhapatnam Port Authority's continued dominance of India's seafood exports and the launch of Exercise MILAN-2026 further cemented our city's stature on both the economic and strategic map.
PM Modi Inaugurates Bhogapuram Airport and Launches Rs 17,900 Crore in AP Projects
Visakhapatnam's connectivity ambitions took a defining leap forward as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Bhogapuram International Airport — formally named the Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport — in a ceremony that also saw the launch of development projects worth Rs 17,900 crore across Andhra Pradesh. The Hindu's coverage of the inauguration marks a turning point for our city, long constrained by the capacity limits of the existing Visakhapatnam Airport. The Bhogapuram facility, located roughly 40 kilometres north of the city centre, has been designed to handle international passenger volumes commensurate with Visakhapatnam's growing stature as an economic and industrial hub on India's eastern seaboard. The Prime Minister's visit to Andhra Pradesh carried wider symbolic weight, arriving alongside a raft of project launches spanning infrastructure, healthcare, and industry. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has consistently identified Visakhapatnam as the engine of the state's development vision, and the Bhogapuram airport serves as a cornerstone of that strategy. The airport is expected to significantly improve connectivity for business travelers and for the large number of non-resident Indians who maintain close ties to families across coastal Andhra Pradesh. For Vizag, the new airport is not merely an infrastructure project — it is a declaration of arrival on the national and international stage, and a catalyst for tourism, trade, and investment in the years ahead. [1]
Andhra Pradesh's First Semiconductor Plant Opens in Visakhapatnam, Unlocking High-Tech Careers
Visakhapatnam has secured its place in India's emerging semiconductor ecosystem with the inauguration of Andhra Pradesh's first semiconductor manufacturing facility — a milestone with far-reaching implications for engineering careers and industrial growth across our region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the plant, developed by ASIP Technologies Pvt Ltd in partnership with APACT from the Republic of Korea, backed by an investment of over Rs 460 crore. The facility has been designed with an annual manufacturing capacity of approximately 96 million semiconductor chips. As reported by EdexLive, it is the first semiconductor manufacturing plant in the state to receive approval under the India Semiconductor Mission — the national initiative aimed at building domestic chip-making capability and reducing import dependence. Industry experts emphasized that the Visakhapatnam plant marks a genuine transition from announcement to execution. Ashok Chandak, President of IESA and SEMI India, noted that momentum is building on the policy front as well, suggesting an enabling environment for follow-on investment. For our city's large engineering graduate population, the facility opens new career pathways in semiconductor design, fabrication, and testing — fields that have historically required relocation to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or abroad. Visakhapatnam's emergence as a deep-tech manufacturing destination is a signal that the city's industrial identity is diversifying beyond steel, ports, and petrochemicals. [2]
Visakhapatnam Port Commands Nearly Half of India's Seafood Exports, Parliament Told
Visakhapatnam Port Authority has again confirmed its commanding position in India's marine trade, contributing 48.89 per cent of the country's total seafood exports in 2025-26, according to data placed before Parliament by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Swarajya reported that the Ministry drew on figures from the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in response to a Lok Sabha query raised by MPs Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy and CM Ramesh, who asked how the One District One Product scheme is being implemented in Andhra Pradesh. The Port had handled an even larger 50.87 per cent of national seafood exports in 2024-25, and the 2025-26 figure of 48.89 per cent maintains that dominant position. For our port city, these numbers carry both economic and strategic meaning. Visakhapatnam's sustained command of nearly half of India's entire seafood export volume is a testimony to the infrastructure, cold-chain logistics networks, and aquaculture production base built up across the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh over decades. The ODOP framework, which the Lok Sabha query addressed, seeks to leverage these regional strengths and promote Andhra's seafood products more aggressively on global markets. The parliamentary record cements our port's national significance in marine commerce and adds weight to ongoing advocacy for further expansion of port infrastructure and investment in the region's fisheries sector. [3]
Defence Minister Inaugurates Exercise MILAN-2026, Bringing Global Navies to Vizag's Harbour
Our harbour took centre stage on the global naval map as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 13th edition of Exercise MILAN-2026 at Visakhapatnam, the biennial multilateral naval exercise that brings together maritime forces from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. News on AIR reported the inaugural ceremony, presided over by the Defence Minister, underscoring the strategic importance Visakhapatnam holds in India's maritime security architecture as the home of the Eastern Naval Command. Exercise MILAN, which translates broadly to meeting or gathering, has grown from a modest regional gathering into one of the largest multilateral naval exercises in the Indo-Pacific, encompassing sea phases, harbour drills, professional exchanges, and cultural interactions among participating contingents. The 2026 edition is expected to draw participation from dozens of nations. For our city, the arrival of naval vessels from across the globe is a familiar and proudly anticipated spectacle — one that affirms Visakhapatnam's identity as a pivotal node in India's maritime frontier. The MILAN exercises serve simultaneously as military training platforms and diplomatic instruments, deepening India's relationships with friendly navies while reinforcing the credibility of its eastern seaboard defences. Rajnath Singh's presence at the inauguration signals the central government's continued recognition of Visakhapatnam's irreplaceable role in national security and India's broader Indo-Pacific engagement strategy. [9]
Sources: [1] thehindu.com · [2] EdexLive · [3] Swarajya · [9] News On AIR