Swami Vivekananda Airport (IATA: RPR, ICAO: VERP) (referred as VARP until February 2018), formerly known as Raipur Airport, is the major airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is the busiest airport in Central India and busiest airport in Chhattisgarh. The airport is located at Mana between Raipur (15 km (9.3 mi)) and Naya Raipur 10 km (6.2 mi). It is the 22nd busiest airport in India by passenger traffic.
On 24 January 2012, the airport was renamed after Swami Vivekananda, as a tribute to the popular saint who spent a major part of his life in Raipur.
Swami Vivekananda Statue at the Airport entrance
Airfield
Swami Vivekananda Airport has a single runway—Runway 06/24—measuring 2,286 m (7,500 ft) in length and 45 m (148 ft) in width. The runway is being extended, post which the length will become 3,251 m (10,666 ft).
The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities such as CAT-1 instrument landing system (ILS) at Runway 24, and navigational aids such as DVOR, DME, NDB, and PAPI.
Airfield view from Aircraft
Aircraft at Apron
The apron has six parking bays which can accommodate A320/B737 category of aircraft and a helipad (Works to accommodate a 7th A320/B737 category aircraft on the apron are underway). The airport is equipped with category VI firefighting and rescue capability with provisions for category VII on demand.
Terminals
New integrated terminal
The new integrated terminal was inaugurated on 7 November 2012 by then President of India Pranab Mukherjee. Built at a cost of about ₹165 crore (US$22 million), the building covers an area of 22,000 m2 (5.4 acres). It is designed to handle 1300 passengers at a time, including 400 international passengers.
The new terminal has three aero-bridges, eight boarding gates, twenty check-in counters, eight X-ray baggage machines, four security counters, and two conveyor belts for luggage. Construction for a third aero-bridge is underway.
Terminal building night view
Terminal inside view
Interior of New terminal
Raipur Airport Airside view from Terminal
Terminal Building view from Apron , Raipur Airport
Cargo terminal
The Common User Domestic Cargo Terminal (CUDCT) was inaugurated on 4 June 2016, fulfilling the long pending demand of the state to start air cargo operations. The AAI has converted the old terminal building into CUDCT to handle cargo operations. Ahmedabad based GSEC Limited has bagged the contract to operate and maintain the CUDCT for an initial period of five years.
Airlines and Destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air India | Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur, Visakhapatnam |
| Alliance Air | Jagdalpur, Jharsuguda |
| IndiGo | Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Pune |
| Vistara | Delhi |
Connectivity
The airport is located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Raipur Junction railway station and 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Bhatgaon ISBT Raipur. It is well connected by Raipur and Naya Raipur BRTS and cabs such as Ola and Uber. In addition, the Raipur Urban Public Transport Society operates direct air-conditioned city buses to the neighbouring cities of Bhilai and Durg, via Raipur.