DelmarTroiano at 05:44, 31 January 2026

2026-01-31T05:44:31Z

New page

{{Short description|Airport in Lakhimpur district, Assam, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox airport
| name = Lilabari Airport
| image = Lilabari Airport Lakhimpur.jpg
| image-width = 250px
| caption =
| IATA = IXI
| ICAO = VELR
| pushpin_map = India Assam#India
| pushpin_label= '''IXI'''
| type = Public
| owner =
| operator = [[Airports Authority of India]]
| city-served = [[North Lakhimpur]]
| location = Lilabari, North Lakhimpur, [[Assam]], [[India]]
| elevation-f = 330
| elevation-m = 101
| coordinates = {{Coord|27|17|44|N|094|05|52|E|type:airport|display=inline,title}}
| website = [https://indiaairport.com/states/assam/lilabari_airport.htm Lilabari Airport]
| metric-elev =
| metric-rwy =
| r1-number = 04/22
| r1-length-f = 7,500
| r1-length-m = 2,286
| r1-surface = [[Concrete]]/[[Asphalt concrete|Asphalt]]
| stat-year = April 2024 - March 2025
| stat1-header = Passengers
| stat1-data = 30,108 ({{decrease}} 16.8%)
| stat2-header = Aircraft movements
| stat2-data = 719 ({{decrease}} 41.7%)
| stat3-header = Cargo tonnage
| stat3-data = -
| footnotes = Source: [[Airports Authority of India|AAI]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Annexure III – Passenger Data|url=https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k25Annex3.pdf|website=aai.aero|access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data|url=https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k25Annex2.pdf|website=aai.aero|access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data|url=https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k25Annex4.pdf|website=aai.aero|access-date=30 April 2025}}</ref>
}}

'''Lilabari Airport''' {{Airport codes|IXI|VELR}}, also known as '''North Lakhimpur Airport''', is a [[domestic airport]] serving the city of [[North Lakhimpur]] in [[Assam]], [[India]]. It is located at Lilabari, {{cvt|8|km}} north from the city centre.

==History==
The Lilabari airport project in Lakhimpur began following hectic campaigning and lobbying by local Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Ranee Narah from 1999 to 2003.<ref name="N Lakhimpur upbeat over increased flights">{{cite web|url=http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=may2511/state06 |title=N Lakhimpur upbeat over increased flights |publisher=Assam Tribune |access-date=8 August 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530024052/http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=may2511%2Fstate06 |archive-date=30 May 2011 }}</ref> Construction of the airport had finished by 2003, and the terminal was inaugurated by then Union Civil Aviation Minister [[Syed Shahnawaz Hussain]].<ref name="N Lakhimpur upbeat over increased flights"/><ref name="Lilabari Airport">{{cite web|url=http://lakhimpur.nic.in/airport.htm|title=Lilabari Airport|publisher=lakhimpur.nic.in|access-date=8 August 2012|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304221805/http://lakhimpur.nic.in/airport.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lilabari Airfield has a little-known but significant history as a forward operating base for the Indian Air Force. During the 1962 Sino-Indian War and in the decades that followed, the IAF used the airfield for airlift, surveillance, and logistical support in the Northeast frontier. Its proximity to strategic regions made it a quiet but vital asset, particularly during operations in Arunachal Pradesh.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gupta |first=Anchit |title=Wings Over Lilabari: IAF’s Historic Links to Assam’s Airfield |url=https://iafhistory.in/2023/04/09/wings-over-lilabari-iafs-historic-links-to-assams-airfield/ |website=IAFHistory |date=9 April 2023 |access-date=5 May 2025}}</ref>

==Current status==
* The airport is equipped with a night landing facility, and the runway is being modified to operate larger aircraft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guwahatiplus.com/daily-news/assam-lilabari-airport-to-get-country-s-4th-aviation-hub|title=Assam: Lilabari Airport to Get Country's 4th Aviation Hub}}</ref>

==Airlines and destinations==

{{Airport-dest-list
|{{nowrap|[[Alliance Air (India)|Alliance Air]]}}| [[Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport|Guwahati]], [[Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport|Kolkata]], [[Shillong Airport|Shillong]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Three new flights connecting Assam, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram launched; check schedule|url=https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/three-new-flights-connecting-assam-arunachal-meghalaya-manipur-mizoram-launched-check-schedule/ar-AA13xvZQ|work=Times Now|date=30 October 2022|access-date=30 October 2022|language=en}}</ref> [[Tezpur Airport|Tezpur]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Three new flights connecting Assam, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram launched; check schedule|url=https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/three-new-flights-connecting-assam-arunachal-meghalaya-manipur-mizoram-launched-check-schedule/ar-AA13xvZQ|work=Times Now|date=30 October 2022|access-date=30 October 2022|language=en}}</ref>
}}

==Statistics==
{{Airport-Statistics|iata=IXI}}

==See also==
* [[Dibrugarh Airport]]
* [[Rupsi Airport]]
* [[Silchar Airport]]
* [[Tezpur Airport]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons-inline}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150104024200/http://www.aai.aero/allAirports/northlakhimpur.jsp Lilabari Airport at the AAI]

{{Airports in India}}

[[Category:North Lakhimpur]]
[[Category:Airports in Assam]]
[[Category:Airports established in 2003]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in Assam]]
[[Category:Airports Authority of India]]

Lilabari Airport - Revision history

DelmarTroiano at 05:44, 31 January 2026