AviatDataLal Bahadur Shastri International Airport VNS / VEBN
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh · India · Airports Authority of India (AAI) — wholly owned by the Government of India; undergoing a Rs 2,870-crore Union Cabinet-approved expansion (new terminal, extended runway, parallel taxi track) as of 2026
4.3Mpax · 2026
H24International · customs & immigrationJet A-1
ICAO / IATAVEBN / VNS
OperatorAirports Authority of India (AAI) — wholly owned by the Government of India; undergoing a Rs 2,870-crore Union Cabinet-approved expansion (new terminal, extended runway, parallel taxi track) as of 2026
Coordinates25.4522°N, 82.8594°E
Elevation270 ft · 82 m
Time zoneIST (UTC+5:30, no DST)
Passengers / yr4,343,347 (2026)
CustomsYes
Border controlYes
SchengenNo
FuelJet A-1
Bonded—
AIP referenceVEBN — AIP India (AAI eAIP, AD 2 VEBN)
Operating hoursH24 — aerodrome/ATC watch hours are continuous per current operational-database records (VVIP Flight/handler ops data), consistent with the airport's scheduled Sunday international service (Air India Express VNS-BKK, launched Feb 2026) and daily Sharjah flights that would be impossible under a weekday-only window; customs/immigration and international-facilities staffing are worked around the scheduled international flight bank rather than kept open continuously; slot/PPR coordination with the Airport Director still applies for ground handling.
TerminalsSingle integrated domestic/international terminal (16 check-in counters, 4 immigration counters, 2 baggage belts, aerobridges); customs/immigration run on a limited basis to cover scheduled international flights. A new 75,220 sqm terminal (target 6 MPPA / 9.9 MPPA ultimate, 8 aerobridges, 72 check-in counters) plus a runway extension to 4,075 m are under construction under AAI's approved Rs 2,870-crore expansion, with completion targeted around late 2026/early 2027 per a June 2026 ministerial review.
Runways (1)
- 09/27 · 2,746 m / 9,009 ft · 45 m wide · Asphalt (PCN 68/F/C/W/T) · ILS ILS CAT I (RWY 27); RWY 09 non-precision only, displaced threshold 232 m (LDA 2,514 m), SALS 420 m + PAPI both ends
Gateway to Varanasi/Kashi and the nearby Buddhist pilgrimage site of Sarnath, served by Air India, Air India Express, Akasa Air, IndiGo and SpiceJet on the domestic network; Air India Express launched non-stop Varanasi-Bangkok service in February 2026 and seasonal (Oct-Mar) Buddhist-circuit charters bring in Sri Lankan, Thai and Myanmar pilgrim traffic alongside seasonal Colombo connections, while Air India Express flies daily to Sharjah, the airport's principal Gulf route. Single non-ILS-both-ends runway with no H24 traffic-driven capacity constraint (though ATC watch hours are H24); a major AAI-funded expansion (new terminal, extended 4,075 m runway) was under active construction through 2026 to lift capacity from 3.9 to 9.9 MPPA.
Services
Available
On request / PPR
Seasonal / ageing
Unconfirmed / not listed
Ground handling
Not listed
Aircraft fuel
Unconfirmed
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL)
Presumed into-plane Jet A-1/ATF supplier at VNS. IOCL is India's largest PSU oil marketer, operating roughly 129 Aviation Fuel Stations nationwide, and is the near-universal incumbent aviation-fuel supplier at Indian airports that lack a dedicated competing joint-venture facility (IndianOil-Skytanking, or a BPCL/HPCL-branded station). No VNS-specific IOCL station citation, tender award, or competing-supplier record was found in sources reachable during, so this remains an inference from IOCL's dominant market position and elimination rather than a confirmed contract; the IOSL/BPCL/HPCL published station lists referenced in an earlier pass could not be independently re-verified here.
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Verified 3 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
De-icing
Not listed
Part-145 line maintenance
Not listed
Part-145 base maintenance
Not listed
Component shops & overhaul
Not listed
Flight catering
Not listed
Aircraft cleaning
Not listed
Ground support equipment
Not listed
Cargo handling
Unconfirmed
AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS)
AAI's cargo-services reporting is described elsewhere as running international cargo handling at Varanasi through an "O&M Model" (grouped with airports such as Trivandrum, Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Vizag, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Indore and Goa), as distinct from airports where AAI runs cargo departmentally with its own staff; this specific AAI source could not be independently re-fetched during. AAICLAS is AAI's dedicated cargo-logistics subsidiary and its screening personnel are independently confirmed physically present and working at VNS (see security entry below), consistent with AAICLAS being the O&M operator here, though a terminal-specific AAICLAS cargo contract citation for Varanasi was not separately found.
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Verified 3 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Aviation security
Available · 2 providers
AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited (AAICLAS)
AAICLAS screening staff are confirmed stationed at VNS performing passenger baggage/weapons-declaration screening: on 16 August 2026 an Air India Express passenger's licensed pistol (declared, with live ammunition still loaded) discharged during a mandatory weapons check at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, injuring two AAICLAS screeners (named in coverage as Rohit Raj and Suman Kumari), who were treated at New Laxmi Trauma Centre. Independently corroborated by The Economic Times, ANI News, Curly Tales, Aviation A2Z and The Times of India (all 16 Aug 2026), with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security confirmed reviewing safety protocols afterward (ANI News, 17 Aug 2026).
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Verified 3 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) - Airport Security Group Varanasi
Provides statutory passenger/hand-baggage security screening (X-ray, frisking), access control and anti-sabotage cover at VNS under CISF's Airport Security Group framework, which covers aviation security at the great majority of India's AAI-operated civil airports under BCAS oversight. Confirmed operationally active at Varanasi: ETV Bharat reported on 5 January 2026 that a passenger was detained at Varanasi airport after CISF recovered six live cartridges from his bag during routine baggage X-ray screening (exact cartridge caliber not independently confirmed).
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Verified 3 weeks ago · unconfirmed source
Passenger & crew transport
Not listed
Flight support
Not listed
Hotel & travel
Not listed