Gaya Airport (IATA: GAY, ICAO: VEGY), also known as Bodhgaya Airport, is a restricted international airport serving Gaya, Bihar, India. This airport is 12 kilometres south-west of Gaya and 5 kilometres away from the temple city of Bodh Gaya, from where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment.
Expansion
An additional 100 acres of land is under encroachment while another 100 acres of land from four villages is to be acquired for runway expansion. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to develop the airport as a standby to the Kolkata Airport. Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal had informed the Rajya Sabha on 28 August 2013 that Airports Authority of India (AAI) has requested the government of Bihar for a further acquisition of around 200 acres to allow the airport to be expanded.
Overview
Gaya Airport is spread over an area of 954 acres. An additional 100 acres of land is under encroachment while another 100 acres of land from four villages is to be acquired for runway expansion. The airport terminal building, spread over 7,500 square meters can handle 250 incoming and 250 outgoing passengers. This airport is mainly seasonal and primarily caters to Buddhist tourists coming from South East Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, etc.
A January 2021 report by the Parliament of India described the IATA code as “inappropriate, unsuitable, offensive and embarrassing” for Gaya due to the city’s religious significance. In its report, the Committee on Public Undertakings recommended changing the airport code from “GAY” to “YAG”, asking the government to “make all efforts” to change the code. As of February 2022, IATA has rejected a code change, stating that airport codes are permanent unless a strong justification relating to air safety is given. LGBT groups in India have criticised the parliamentary committee’s request as reflective of homophobia.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| IndiGo | Delhi, Kolkata |
Statistics
Passenger, and Aircraft Movement at Gaya Airport (2011-2020)
| Year | Passengers | Change | Aircraft Movement | Change | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | 47,311 |  32.1% |
625 | 20.7% |
|
| 2020–21 | 69,655 | 70.7% |
788 | 78.1% |
|
| 2019–20 | 237,452 |  11.1% |
3,606 | 36.1% |
|
| 2018–19 | 213,635 | 14.4% |
2,649 | 8.6% |
|
| 2017–18 | 186,670 | 5.1% |
2,439 | 11.2% |
|
| 2016–17 | 177,663 | 13.1% |
2,193 | 4.8% |
|
| 2015–16 | 157,144 | 22.0% |
2,093 | 28.0% |
|
| 2014–15 | 128,829 | 24.6% |
1,635 | 13.8% |
|
| 2013–14 | 102,212 | 16.5% |
1,437 | 5.6% |
|
| 2012–13 | 121,091 | 23.2% |
1,524 | 23.9% |
|
| 2011–12 | 98,273 | 94.0% |
1,230 | 108.5% |