Bhogapuram Airport: Air India Express will fly Visakhapatnam-Bangkok twice a week from October 27

Air India Express aircraft. File | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Bhogapuram’s Alluri Sitarama Raju International Airport will see its first international flight on October 27, which the city’s air travelers are calling a turning point for the region.

From this date, Air India Express will operate direct and non-stop services between Visakhapatnam and Bangkok after years of lobbying by local groups.

For decades, the industrial and commercial capital of Andhra Pradesh lived with restrictions. Despite a large pharmaceutical sector, a major port, growing IT corridors and a large seafood export market, international connectivity has been a hindrance. Passengers and business delegations were routinely forced to transit domestically via Hyderabad, Chennai or New Delhi to catch connections abroad.

The Visakhapatnam-Bangkok route changes that.

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The service is governed by the permanent offices of the Andhra Pradesh Air Passengers Association (APATA) and responds to long-standing demand from North Andhra. Connecting Visakhapatnam directly to the Thai capital is expected to help multiple economic sectors, the association says.

According to the published schedule, Air India Express will operate the service twice a week.

Flight IX 904 will depart Visakhapatnam every Tuesday and Friday at 11:30 AM, arriving in Bangkok at 4:00 PM local time. Return flight IX 903 departs Bangkok on Wednesday and Saturday at 2:10 AM and arrives in Visakhapatnam at 3:55 AM. With an introductory one-way economy fare between ₹16,300 and ₹19,400, the flight schedule is suitable for both weekenders and business commuters.

The association says the connection is more than a convenience for tourists looking for Thai beaches or Buddhist hiking trails. Seafood exporters and bulk drug manufacturers in the Visakhapatnam SEZ corridor can benefit from faster cargo routing, he says. The route also opens up new avenues for medical tourism, bringing patients from Southeast Asia to expanding hospitals in northern Andhra while making it easier for regional professionals to travel there.

With October 27 approaching, Visakhapatnam’s first international flight marks a turning point, says the association.

“This signals that Visakhapatnam is no longer just a regional player but an emerging international gateway ready to assert its rightful place on the global aviation map,” APATA representatives K. Kumar Raja, O. Naresh Kumar and DS Varma said.

Published – September 9, 2026 12:42 PM IST