Kushinagar International Airport

Kushinagar International Airport
IATA: KBK ICAO: VEKI
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Ministry of Civil Aviation
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Kushinagar
Location	Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Opened	20 October 2021;3 years ago (2021-10-20)
Elevation  AMSL	266 ft / 81 m
Coordinates	26°46′12″N083°54′29″E / 26.77000°N 83.90806°E / 26.77000; 83.90806
Map
KBK/VEKI Location of the airport in Uttar Pradesh Show map of Uttar Pradesh KBK/VEKI KBK/VEKI (India) Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 11/29 10,500 3,200 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025)
Passengers Aircraft movements Cargo tonnage 270 ( 98.5%) 44 ( 81.8%) —
Source: AAI [1] [2] [3]

Kushinagar International Airport( IATA : KBK, ICAO : VEKI) is an international airport serving Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. ^{[4] [5]} In August 2021, the airport was licensed to operate as a customs notified airport, facilitating the movement of international passengers and Buddhist pilgrims. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

The airport is struggling with a number of issues that has led to the temporary closure of operations since 2023, which are hindering hassle-free operations of the aircraft operations in particular. These problems are currently being solved since the last half of 2024, and are targeted to be finished within the last half of 2025. ^[9]

History

The central government approved a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of 20% for the construction of Kushinagar Airport in 2013. ^[10] The airport was to be built through a joint venture between the State Government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). ^[11]

The project was initially intended to be developed on the public-private partnership model at an estimated cost of ₹ 354 crores. The State Government selected IL&FS Infrastructure Development Company Limited as project consultants. The design was inspired by inverted canopies called "Ulta Chaata". ^{[12] [13]} The Government had received 15 technical bids in 2013 from infrastructure companies for the development of the airport. ^[14]

In January 2014, the state cabinet cleared the project and approved the financial bid document. ^[6] Despite several attempts to reduce the cost and the size of the project, the government could not convince private payers about its viability. In May 2015, the state government decided to take the support of Airport Authority of India to move ahead with the project. ^[11]

On 24 June 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognized the Kushinagar Airport as an international airport, ^[15] in part to attract Buddhist pilgrims. ^{[16] [17]} In February 2021, the airport received all necessary clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to be recognized as the international airport, becoming the third international airport in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow and Varanasi. ^[18]

On 20 October 2021, PM Modi officially inaugurated the airport during Abhidhamma Day celebrations at Kushinagar, stating that it would boost the aviation sector and help increase international tourism from Buddhist pilgrims around the world. On that day, Sri Lanka's Minister for Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa and more than a hundred members of the Buddhist clergy landed at the inauguration of the airport as the first international flight landing. ^{[19] [20] [21]} On 26 November 2021, the first passenger flight of SpiceJet landed at the airport from Delhi with 74 passengers, becoming the first scheduled flight to land at Kushinagar International Airport. ^{[22] [23]}

Location

It is located 54 kilometres (34 mi) east of Gorakhpur Airport, ^[24] 47 kilometres (29 mi) east of Gorakhpur, 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of Deoria, 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-west of Bettiah and 64 kilometres (40 mi) west of Gopalganj.

Facilities

The airport has a single runway which is 3.2 km (10,000 ft) long and 45 m (148 ft) wide with number 11/29. The airport apron can accommodate 5 Boeing 737-900s at a time. ^[25]

Airlines and destinations

AAI is operating only VVIPs Flight Operations from this airport. for VVIP Movements there is no obstacles. Common people should forget any flight operation in near future from this airport. ^[26]

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at KBK airport. See Wikidata query.

See also

• List of airports in Uttar Pradesh
• UDAN Scheme
• Buddhist pilgrimage sites
• Tourism in Uttar Pradesh

References

1. "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
2. "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
3. "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
4. "Padrauna". Airports Authority of India . Retrieved 25 June 2020.
5. "Civil Aviation Promotion Policy of Uttar Pradesh 2017" (PDF). Government of Uttar Pradesh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
6. "Kushinagar airport takes global leap, puts Buddhist circuit on world map TNN". The Times of India. 25 June 2020.
7. "Project Information Memorandum" (PDF). Government of Uttar Pradesh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
8. "Kushinagar Airport declared as Customs Notified Airport". 16 September 2021.
9. https://www.livehindustan.com/uttar-pradesh/kushinagar//story-kushinagar-airport-development-tower-removals-and-flight-operations-updates-201735674586875.html ^{[ bare URL ]}
10. "Kushinagar international airport to get ready for take-off". Business Standard . 7 January 2013.
11. "Stuck for 7 years, govt decides to rope in AAI for Kushinagar airport". Indian Express . 10 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
12. "A Husband-Wife Duo Is Harvesting Rainwater & Solar Energy at the Same Time – Using an Umbrella". 16 March 2017.
13. "This Inverted Canopy recycles water (& then generates solar energy too)".
14. "15 bids infuse new life into Kushinagar airport project". Hindustan Times . 23 February 2013. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
15. "UP's Kushinagar, On Buddhist Circuit, To Get "International Airport"".
16. "Cabinet approves declaration of Kushinagar airport in U.P. as international airport". The Hindu. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
17. Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. "India's Buddhist outreach: International Airport at Kushinagar for Buddhist pilgrims". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
18. "Kushinagar Airport gets DGCAlicence for international flights | Allahabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
19. "Over 100 Sri Lankan clergy, Namal Rajapaksa to attend Kushinagar airport inauguration". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
20. "Sri Lanka sends inaugural flight to India's Kushinagar International Airport". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
21. "India's Kushinagar Airport declared open, Sri Lankan delegation marks first landing". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
22. Livemint (20 October 2021). "Kushinagar International Airport to be inaugurated today by PM Modi —10 points". mint. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
23. "Air India decision will boost aviation sector: PM on Kushinagar airport inauguration". The Indian Express. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
24. "Kushinagar airport to be a boon for migrant labourers". The Times of India . 23 February 2013. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013.
25. "UP gets its third international airport: Schedule of the first flight, other details". mint. 24 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
26. https://www.livehindustan.com/uttar-pradesh/kushinagar//story-kushinagar-airport-development-tower-removals-and-flight-operations-updates-201735674586875.html ^{[ bare URL ]}