In this article, we will see about 35 Best Domestic and International Airports in India which currently carries large Passenger traffic everyday. Currently India has more than 400 Airports, Flying Strips and Military Bases in the Country. Out of which Airports Authority of India(AAI) manages around 126 Airports in the Country. Recently Government introduced Public Private Partnership(PPP) Model allowed Private Players as well to manage and operate Airports across the Country. India has currently 34 International Airport as well with huge traffic travelling on daily basis. We will look into all the major domestic and International Airports in below sections.
Domestic and International Airports in India
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1. Indira Gandhi International Airport
It is an Airport located in the Capital City of Delhi. It is named after former Prime Minister of India - Indira Gandhi and is considered as one of the busiest Airport of Northern India. It is the busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. It is also the 17th busiest Airport in the World and 6th busiest Airport in Asia. This Airport is currently operated by Delhi International Airport Limited(DIAL). Recently, it has won many awards for its better Services.
2. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
It is an Airport located in the Telangana Capital Hyderabad. It is named after former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. It is the sixth busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger traffic. This Airport works under Public-Private Partnership. It is currently owned and operated by GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. It has the right to operate the Airport for next 30 years with an option to continue doing so for another 30 Years. More on RGIA.
3. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport
It is an Airport located in the India's Financial City of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is named after famous Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Airport was awarded as the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International. The airport is currently operated by Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL). It is a Joint Venture between the Airports Authority of India and the GVK Industries Ltd led consortium. Recently, the Adani Group acquired both, GVK and Bidvest's stakes in MIAL, giving it a controlling interest in the venture.
4. Kempegowda International Airport
It is an Airport located in India's IT Hub Bangalore, Karnataka. It is named after founder of Bangalore, Kempe Gowda I. It is made under Public-Private Partnership Model. It is currently owned and operated by Bengaluru International Airport Limited(BIAL). It is the third busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic after Delhi and Mumbai. This Airport also became Karnataka's first fully Solar Power developed Airport.
5. Chennai International Airport
It is an Airport located in the Tamil Nadu State Capital City of Chennai. It is fourth busiest Airport in India in terms of handling passenger traffic after New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It was the first airport in India to have international and domestic terminals located adjacent to each other. This Airport act as the the regional headquarter of the Airports Authority of India(AAI) for South India.
6. Cochin International Airport
It is an Airport located in the City of Cochin, Kerala. It is the first airport in India developed under Public- Private partnership(PPP) model. It became the World's first Airport which runs fully from recently opened dedicated Solar Power Plant. It is the eighth busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. Recently, the Airport was awarded as the Best Airport in Asia Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International.
7. Goa International Airport
It is the only International Airport in India currently operating under Airports Authority of India. It is also Known as Dabolim Airport. It was under Portuguese control till 1961 from where they used to operate flights to Daman, Diu, Karachi, Mozambique, Portuguese Timor and many other places. Later on Government of India took control of the Airport after recapturing Goa. It is the 10th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. Recently a new Integrated Terminal Building was opened to handle the increased Passenger Traffic.
8. Chandigarh International Airport
It is a Custom Airport located in the Union territory of Chandigarh. It has received award as the Best Airport for Hygiene measures in 2020 by Airports Council International. Chandigarh Airport operates all its Civil Flight Operations from the Civil Enclave of the Indian Airforce Station. This Airport is jointly operated by Air Force and Airports Authority of India(AAI). In 2015, a new Terminal was Inaugurated by Prime Minister of India which is filled with plants that provides a touch of Eco Friendly Environment.
9. Madurai Airport
It is a Passenger and Custom Airport located in the City of Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It is Known as the 36th Busiest Airport in terms of Passenger traffic handling and Aircraft Movement in India. In past few years, Airport has seen a steady increase in traffic due to which AAI decided to create a new Terminal for which they have requested Land from State Government. AAI also constructed a new State of the Art Integrated terminal adjacent to the old Terminal.
10. Coimbatore International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is the 18th Busiest Airport in terms of Passenger traffic handling in India. This airport was currently in news due to handling of increased number of Passenger traffic than its Capacity. In past few years, this Airport seen a steady traffic growth. Ministry of State for Civil Aviation is currently working on expanding the Airport Capability but currently stuck due to Land Acquisition Issues. It remains interesting to see what goes on next.
11. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Kolkata, West Bengal. Previously this Airport was Known as Dum Dum Airport. Later on, it was renamed in 1995 after the name of a Great Indian Freedom Fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). It is the fifth Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. It is also the largest hub for Air Traffic in Eastern part of India. It is one of the oldest Airport in India opened in 1924. It has won many awards from Airports Council International for Hygiene measure.
12. Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport
It is an International Airport located at Babatpur, near the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It is named after former Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). It is India's 20th Busiest Airport in terms of handling passenger traffic and 2nd busiest airport in the State of Uttar Pradesh.
13. Vadodara Airport
It is an Airport located in the City of Vadodara, Gujarat. It is the third largest Airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Surat Airports in terms of handling Passenger Traffic and Aircraft Movement. It is also considered as the Second Green Airport of India after Cochin International Airport. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI).
14. Rajkot Airport
It is a domestic airport located in the City of Rajkot, Gujarat. It is 4th largest Airport of Gujarat in terms of handling passenger traffic and 3rd largest in terms of aircraft movement. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). Recently Rajkot Airport runway is extended by 100m from 1742m to 1842m to accommodate larger Capacity Aircraft.
15. Mangaluru International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Mangaluru, Karnataka. It is second busiest Airport in Karnataka. Recently, the Airports Authority of India(AAI) handed over the Mangaluru Airport to the Adani Group on lease for a period of 50 Years along with 5 other major International airports of the Country. Mangalore Airport was the first airport in Karnataka to have two runways. At one time, this Airport was also in the list of 11 unsafe airports that was marked by DGCA for improvements in Safety Operations.
16. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
It is an International Airport located at Hansul, near the city of Ahmedabad. It is named after the first deputy Prime Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It is one of the largest Airport in the State of Gujarat. It is currently owned by Airport Authority of India and operated by Adani Ahmedabad International Airport Limited(AAIAL). In 2017, it was awarded as the Most Improved Airport in Asia-Pacific Region by the Airports Council International.
17. Birsa Munda Airport
It is an Airport located in the City of Ranchi, Jharkhand. It is named after great Indian Tribal Leader Birsa Munda. It is the 25th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). In 2013, a new Integrated Terminal was Inaugurated by then Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. In the same year, tax on turbine fuel was reduced from 20% to 4% to attract more and more Airlines to the Capital City.
18. Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the Assam Capital City of Guwahati. It is named after a freedom fighter and late Chief Minister of Assam Gopinath Bordoloi. It is one of the Six Major International Airports which has been given on lease for 50 Years to Adani Group. It also serves as the Indian Air Force Base. It is the 11th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic.
19. Vishakapatnam International Airport
It is a Custom Airport located in the City of Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This airport has seen a steady growth of Passenger traffic in last several years. At present, it's growth rate is highest among all other airports - Vijayawada, Tirupati and Rajahmundry in the State. It is currently owned and operated by Indian Navy Airports Authority of India. It is considered as the Busiest Airport in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
20. Vijayawada Airport
It is an International Airport in the City of Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. Recently, Cargo Services has been started from this Airport. It has a Single Integrated Terminal only for handling domestic traffic with capacity upto 500 Passengers at any time. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI).
21. Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport
It is an International Airport in Srinagar, Summer Capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is named after Kashmir Poet Saint Sheikh ul-Alam. It is mostly used by Military but there is a Civil enclave also which is handled by Airports Authority of India(AAI). Although it is designated as International Airport but there is not much International Flights from here.
22. Trivandrum International Airport
It is an International Airport in the City of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It was the first Airport in Kerala. It is the second busiest in Kerala and fourteenth busiest in India. It is spreaded over an area of 700 acres. Apart from Civil Operations, Trivandrum airport also serve the needs of Indian Air Force(IAF) and Indian Coast Guards.
23. Pune International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Pune, Maharashtra. It is currently owned by Indian Air Force and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). It is a Civil Enclave operated by AAI at the Indian Air Force Station. Recently, it is awarded as the Best Airport in terms of Hygiene by Airports Council International. Due to increased number of Passenger Traffic, Pune Airport will soon get a new Terminal to handle the traffic.
24. Calicut International Airport
It is an International Airport located in Karipur, Kerala. It is the third busiest Airport in Kerala after Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It is the 12th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic and 11th Busiest in terms of handling Cargo Traffic. It is one of the few airports in India a Tabletop Runway. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI).
25. Kannur International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the town of Kannur, Kerala. It is the second greenfield airport to be built on a Public Private Partnership(PPP) Model in Kerala. It is currently owned and operated by Kannur International Airport Limited(KIAL) under Public Private Partnership Model(PPP). It is the second Greenfield Airport built under PPP Model in Kerala. Major International Flights like Kuwait Airways, Salam Air, Air Arabia, Ethihad Airways, Gulf Air operates from this Airport.
26. Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. It is named after Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Holkar Dynasty, Maratha Empire. Recently this Airport has been selected for a survey along with 19 other airports to be conducted by Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History(SACON) to prevent bird-hit cases. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI).
27. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Nagpur, Maharashtra. It was named after the chief of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R Ambedkar. It is currently owned by Airports Authority of India(AAI) and operated by Mihan India Private Limited(MIPL). Majority of the traffic is due to Passenger travelling to and from Mumbai International Airport. Currently Airport has only one terminal but there is a plan to build new terminal to handle the Passenger Traffic.
28. Imphal International Airport
It is an Airport located in the Capital City of Manipur, Imphal. It is the third busiest airport in terms of Passenger traffic handling in northeastern India after the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport and Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. It is currently owned by Government of Manipur and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). It is the third Busiest Airport in North Eastern India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic.
29. Biju Patnaik International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the Capital City of Orissa, Bhubaneshwar. It is named after former Chief Minister of Orissa, Biju Patnaik. It is the 16th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling passenger traffic. It is currently owned and operated by Airports Authority of India(AAI). It serves as one of the Major Civil Aviation Hub in Eastern parts of the India. As of now, there are two terminals used for Domestic and International Travel. Soon a new Terminal 3 will be opened to handle Passenger Traffic.
30. Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport
It is an International Airport located near the City of Amritsar, Punjab. It was named after the founder of Amritsar and fourth Sikh Guru Sri Guru Ram Das. It is the largest and busiest airport of the state of Punjab. It is also the second largest airport in Northern India after Delhi Airport.
31. Jaipur International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the City of Jaipur, Rajasthan. It is the 11th Busiest Airport in India in terms of Scheduled Flight Operations. Earlier in 2015, Municipal Corporation displayed Vintage Cars at the arrival and departure of the Airport along with five autorickshaws that have been painted for the two day meet on November 19-20. Along with this, art installations was also done on its premises.
32. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport
It is an International Airport located in the Capital City of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow. It was named after the fifth Prime Minister of India, Chaudhary Charan Singh. It is owned by Airport Authority of India(AAI) and operated by Adani Lucknow International Airport Limited(ALIAL). It is the second largest Airport in Northern and Central India. It is also the 11th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. Recently it is declared as the Best Airport by Airports Authority of India(AAI).
33. Tiruchirappalli International Airport
It is an International Airport located near City of Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. It is the 31st busiest Airport in terms of passenger handling and 34th busiest in terms of traffic movement in India. It is the second busiest Airport in handling passenger traffic in Tamil Nadu after Chennai Airport. It is currently owned by Ministry of Civil Aviation and operated by Airports Authority of India.
34. Bagdogra International Airport
It is an Airport located near the city of Siliguri, West Bengal. It is the 18th Busiest Airport in India in terms of handling Passenger Traffic. It is also one of the Airport with Zero Sales Tax on Aviation Turbine Fuel. The Airport is also considered as the Major Transport hub in the Eastern part of the Country. It is currently owned by Indian Air Force and operated by Airports Authority of India. This Airport handles more than 7000 Passengers daily. Recently, Sanitary Napkins are installed in this Airport to promote the Women Hygiene Practices.
35. Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport
It is an Airport located near Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal. It is named after the famous Bengal Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. It is the 70th Busiest Airport in India in terms of Passenger Handling. It is also a greenfield Airport. It is currently owned and operated by Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd(BAPL). In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Passenger to use the new Airport to flew out to Delhi. The Airport has around 70% Green space to provide Open and Fresh Environment.