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Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport

Airport serving Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Field	Value
name	Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport
image	Varanasi Airport.png
image-width	300px
IATA	VNS
ICAO	VEBN
pushpin_map	India Uttar Pradesh#India
pushpin_label	VNS
type	Public
owner	Government of India
operator	Airports Authority of India
city-served	Varanasi
location	Babatpur, Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, India
elevation-f	270
elevation-m	82.30
coordinates
website
metric-rwy	yes
r1-number	09/27
r1-length-f	9,006
r1-length-m	2,745
r1-surface	Asphalt
stat-year	April 2024 - March 2025
stat1-header	Passengers
stat1-data	4,027,810 ( 34.4%)
stat2-header	Aircraft movements
stat2-data	26,687 ( 30.1%)
stat3-header	Cargo tonnage
stat3-data	6,033 ( 27.8%)
footnotes	Source: AAI
pushpin_map_caption	Location of airport in Uttar Pradesh

Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport is an international airport serving Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located at Babatpur, 26 km northwest of Varanasi. Formerly known as Varanasi Airport, it was officially renamed after Lal Bahadur Shastri, the 2nd Prime Minister of India, in October 2005. It acquired its position in India's major airports after more than 4 million passengers used the airport in 2024-25. It is the 19th-busiest airport in India in terms of passenger movement, and the second-busiest airport in Uttar Pradesh. The airport was awarded as the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 (2 to 5 million passengers per annum) by Airports Council International. It is the first airport in India to make announcements in Sanskrit language.

Terminal

thumb|left|Lal Bahadur Shastri statue at Varanasi Airport An integrated terminal serves both domestic and international flights, with a floor area of 3900 m2. The terminal features 16 check-in counters with CUTE (common-user terminal equipment), four immigration counters that double up as emigration counters, and two baggage-claim belts. Besides an upper-level seating area for the aero-bridge gates, the terminal features a ground-level gate to reach other aircraft on the apron on foot, or via shuttle bus. The apron can simultaneously park five narrow-body aircraft. The waiting area features essential services for the passengers, besides snack stalls, a travellers' convenience store, a bookstore with a newsstand, and stores selling merchandise indigenous to Varanasi, such as Banarasi Saris; and a VIP waiting lounge.

Airfield

The airport features a single asphalt runway bearing 09/27. It is 9,006 feet (2,745 m) in length, with turnarounds on both ends, and two exits to the main apron. A third, seldom-used exit leads to an isolated apron for use in emergency.

An IndiGo aircraft being serviced by three mobile gangways at Varanasi Airport

Airlines and destinations

Future plans and projects

Due to increasing passenger traffic and aircraft movements the Airports Authority of India is planning to extend the runway to 4075 m from the existing 2750 m. An underpass will be constructed as the expansion will intersect with National Highway 31.

In November 2019, the Airports Authority of India came up with a proposal for a new second terminal, which will be completed by 2024. The total area of the terminal will be 58,691 m2 with passenger capacity of 4.5 million per year.

On 20 October 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for several projects at the Airport, including the expansion of the airport runway, a new terminal building, and other allied works, totalling around ₹2,870 crore.

References

"Annexure III – Passenger Data".
"Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data".
"Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data".
"Varanasi". [[Airports Authority of India]].
(20 October 2005). "Varanasi Airport renamed". Press Information Bureau, Government of India.
"2020 - Best Airport by Size and Region".
(24 June 2022). "Varanasi International Airport makes announcement in Sanskrit". The Times of India.
"Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Airport (VNS)".
"Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Airport (VNS)".
"Varanasi Airport (VNS), Varanasi International Airport | IndiGo".
"Shopping".
"Time Table".
"Our Network". Air India Express.
(16 December 2025). "Air India Express to launch direct Varanasi–Bangkok flights from February 1". The Economic Times.
"एक मई से पटना के लिए हिंडन एयरपोर्ट से उड़ान, बनारस और लखनऊ के लिए भी फ्लाइट की तैयारी".
Ahmed, Arfath. (8 January 2025). "Air India Express Adds New Mumbai to Varanasi Flights Amid Maha Kumbh Mela 2025". Aviation A2Z.
"Fly91 Winter Schedule".
"Akasa Air Flight Network".
"Flights Schedule for Domestic & International Flights IndiGo".
"IndiGo to commence Durgapur-Varanasi service in Oct-2025". CAPA.
(10 August 2023). "CM Adityanath inaugurates first flight service between Lucknow, Varanasi". [[Press Trust of India]].
Velani, Bhavya. (22 August 2023). "IndiGo Launches the New and 80th Destination as Khajuraho". Aviation A2Z.
"INDIGO 1H23 DOMESTIC ROUTES ADDITION SUMMARY – 05MAR23". Aeroroutes.
"IndiGo to launch Pune-Varanasi flight from February 11". JetArena.
"SpiceJet Flight Schedule".
(5 June 2018). "UP airport 1st to have national highway under runway - Times of India".
(10 November 2019). "गंगा की लहरों व शिवलिंग सा होगा वाराणसी एलबीएस इंटरनेशनल एयरपोर्ट टर्मिनल, डिजाइन तैयार". Dainik Jagran.
(20 October 2024). "PM Modi to launch several projects during his Varanasi visit". The Hindu.
(20 October 2024). "PM Modi in Varanasi today to unveil ₹6,100 crore Diwali gift, inaugurate multiple projects". Mint.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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