Air India will begin operating international flights from Visakhapatnam, India to Dubai. The city airport will be upgraded to international status as of September 2011 which is also when the new Dubai service will be introduced.

Air India will be operating the new route via Hyderabad beginning in the third week of September on a daily basis with flights departing at 8am from Vishakhapatnam. The airline also plans to introduce flights to New York and Chicago if it sees a significant increase in demand for its international flights. The choice of Dubai was an obvious next step for Air India as the emirate remains a favorite holiday and business travel destination for Indian travelers. The huge crowds at this year's Eid holidays in the city led to a last minute travel rush that pushed up airfares to Dubai from a variety of international destinations.