Gaya Airport is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer ...

serving

Gaya Gaya may refer to: Geography Czech Republic *Gaya (German and Latin), Kyjov (Hodonín District), a town Guinea * Gaya or Gayah, a town India *Gaya, India, a city in Bihar **Gaya Airport *Bodh Gaya, a town in Bihar near Gaya *Gaya district, Bi ...

, Bihar, India. This airport is 12 kilometres south-west of Gaya and 5 kilometres away from the temple city of

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained Enlightenment ( pi, ...

, from where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment.

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 Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, 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 criticized the parliamentary committee's request as reflective of

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

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 The Airports Authority of India, or AAI, is a public sector enterprise under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastruct ...

(AAI) plans to develop the airport as a standby to the

Kolkata Airport Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an international airport located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, serving the Kolkata Metropolitan Area and is the aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. It is located approximatel ...

. 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. The airport is to be expanded and upgraded with the construction of a new passenger terminal building which would replace the current terminal structure. Other expansion works include expanding runaway 10/28, and installation of CAT-1 ILS approach lighting. In the future, a cargo terminal has also been planned to be built.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

Passenger, and Aircraft Movement at Gaya Airport (2011-2022)

References

External links