Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport Template:Airport codes is an international airport located at Babatpur,[1] Template:Convert northwest of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Formerly known as Varanasi Airport, it was officially renamed after Lal Bahadur Shastri, the 2nd Prime Minister of India, in October 2005.[2] It is India's 18th-busiest airport in terms of passenger movement and second-busiest airport in Uttar Pradesh. The airport is awarded as the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 (2 to 5 million passengers per annum) by Airports Council International.[3]
Terminal
An integrated terminal serves both domestic and international flights, with a floor area of Template:Convert.[4] 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.[5] 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.[5] The apron can simultaneously park five narrow-body aircraft.[6] 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.[7]
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.[5] A third, seldom-used exit leads to an isolated apron for use in emergency.[5]
Airlines and destinations
Statistics
Future plans
Due to increasing passenger traffic and aircraft movements the Airports Authority of India is planning to extend the runway to Template:Convert from the existing Template:Convert. An underpass will be constructed as the expansion will intersect with National Highway 31.[8]
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.[9]
See also
- List of airports in India
- List of the busiest airports in India
- Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport
References
- ↑ Varanasi. Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ↑ Varanasi Airport renamed. Press Information Bureau, Government of India(20 October 2005).. It acquired its position in India's major airports after more than 1.5 million passengers used the airport in 2017.
- ↑ 2020 - Best Airport by Size and Region. ACI World. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ↑ Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Airport (VNS).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Airport (VNS). AAI. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ↑ Varanasi Airport (VNS), Varanasi International Airport | IndiGo. www.goindigo.in. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ↑ Shopping. AAI. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
- ↑ UP airport 1st to have national highway under runway - Times of India. The Times of India.
- ↑ गंगा की लहरों व शिवलिंग सा होगा वाराणसी एलबीएस इंटरनेशनल एयरपोर्ट टर्मिनल, डिजाइन तैयार. Dainik Jagran(10 November 2019). Retrieved 11 February 2020.
External links
Template:Commons category-inline
- Varanasi Airport at Airports Authority of India web site