Swami Vivekananda Airport (IATA:RPR,ICAO:VERP),[6][7][8] formerly known asMana Airport, is adomestic airport servingRaipur, the capital city of the state ofChhattisgarh,India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) south-east of Raipur and 10 km (6.2 mi) east ofNaya Raipur, situated conveniently between the two cities.[9] On 24 January 2012, the airport was renamed afterSwami Vivekananda, the iconic Hindu monk and philosopher who spent three years of his youth in Raipur between 1877 and 1879.[10]
In the period between April 2024 and March 2025, it handled around 2.6 million passengers, and has been the busiest airport in the state, the second-busiest inCentral India afterIndore and the28th-busiest airport in India by passenger traffic.[3] The airport boasts longest runway in Central India which extends to 3,250 m (10,660 ft).[2]
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.[11] The runway has been extended to 3,250 m (10,660 ft),[12] of which extended portion 965 meter was operationalised on 8 August 2024.[1][2] It is also the longest runway inCentral India in terms of commercial operations.
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.[15]
The new integrated terminal was inaugurated on 7 November 2012 by thenPresident of IndiaPranab Mukherjee. Built at a cost of about₹165 crore (US$20 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.[16]
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.[15][17]
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.[18]
In 2023, the Chief Minister of ChhattisgarhBhupesh Baghel laid the foundation stone of Aerocity near Raipur Airport in 25 acre of land in Ramchandi area ofNaya Raipur, with plans to have high-end hotels, a convention center, shopping complexes, and upscale restaurants and entertainment facilities.[24][25][26][27]
According to latest reports, now Aerocity will be made in 600 acre of land.[28]
