# Swami Vivekananda Airport

Swami Vivekananda Airport (IATA: RPR, ICAO: VERP), formerly known as Mana Airport, is a domestic airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) south-east of Raipur and 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Naya Raipur, situated conveniently between the two cities. On 24 January 2012, the airport was renamed after Swami Vivekananda, the iconic Hindu monk and philosopher who spent three years of his youth in Raipur between 1877 and 1879.
In the period between April 2023 and March 2024, it handled around 2.5 million passengers, and has been the busiest airport in Chhattisgarh, and the second busiest in Central India after Indore airport and the 29th busiest airport in India by passenger traffic. The airport boasts longest runway in Central India which extends to 3,250 m (10,660 ft).

## Airfield

Spread over an area of 700 acres (280 ha), Swami Vivekananda Airport has a single runway (06/24) measuring 3,250 m (10,660 ft) in length and 45 m (148 ft) in width. The runway has been extended to 3,250 m (10,660 ft), of which extended portion 965 meter was operationalised on 8 August 2024. It is also the Longest Runway in Central India in terms of commercial operations.
The airfield is equipped with night landing facilities such as ILS CAT II instrument landing system (ILS) at Runway 24, and navigational aids such as ADS-B, DVOR, DME, NDB, and PAPI.
The apron has eleven parking bays which can accommodate A320/B737 category of aircraft. 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$19 million), the building covers an area of 22,000 m$^2$ (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 fourth aero-bridge is under-consideration.

### 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 |
| FlyBig | Ambikapur, Bilaspur |
| IndiGo | Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi, Goa–Dabolim, Hyderabad, Indore, Jagdalpur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Prayagraj, Pune |
| Star Air | Jharsuguda |

## Aerocity

In 2023, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel laid the foundation stone of Aerocity near Raipur Airport in 25 acre of land in Ramchandi area of Naya Raipur, with plans to have high-end hotels, a convention center, shopping complexes, and upscale restaurants and entertainment facilities.
According to latest reports, now Aerocity will be made in 600 acre of land.

## 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.

## Gallery

* Swami Vivekananda's statue at the airport's entrance
* Airside view from Terminal
* Tribal art Installation
* Aircraft at Apron
* Terminal inside view