Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (ATQ) Airport Guide - HonestAirport

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Most important tips

Know before you go

A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.

Timing

CAT III-B is RWY 34 only — still leave real international buffers

Fog kit helps landings on 34; a single strip and diaspora banks still need time.

eAIP publishes CAT III-B (RVR to 50 m) on runway 34 only. DigiYatra helps enrolled domestic Indian nationals; FTI-TTP e-gates help enrolled Indian/OCI travellers on immigration. Neither replaces CISF, check-in, or a full international buffer. Domestic ~2 hours early is the sane default; international wants ~3 hours. Confirm the live lounge pin — Airr’s DragonPass hours are 05:00 until last boarding, not the PP/LK 24-hour clock.

Terminal

One integrated hall — Primus is domestic, Airr is after immigration

No T1/T2 hop. Sector signs and lounge pins still matter.

AAI operates a single 2009 glass-and-steel passenger building (4.5 million published annual capacity; 4 aerobridges). DragonPass labels Airr “Terminal 2” — that is a network label, not a second AAI terminal. Primus is domestic SHA, 2nd floor after security. Airr is international SHA after passport control, 1st floor near Gate 6. Screenshot ATQ ≠ IXC ≠ DEL before the car leaves.

Food

Airr if entitled — Primus is a basic SHA room, not a meal plan

Two live PP/LK/DP rooms; landside bottles and AAI drinking water beat airside markup.

Airr is the international soft room (PP/LK 24 h, DP 05:00–last boarding, max 4 h on PP). Primus is the domestic pin (24 h, max 3 h on PP) — treat it as a seat and Wi-Fi, not a buffet. AAI lists Udaan Yatri Cafe, BARFLY, Costa Coffee, KFC, Bansal Sweets and drinking water with disposable glasses. Buy sealed water landside before CISF if you want a bottle; AAI does not publish a bottle tariff.

Access

Prepaid taxi Plan A — parking is metered, pick/drop is not a wait bay

Road access only. Official car parking starts at ₹60 / 30 minutes.

AAI lists prepaid taxi and WTI Cabs at arrivals / outside the terminal, Ola and Uber outside. Pay at the signed desk; keep the docket. Designated parking: private cars ₹60 (30 min), ₹90 (60), ₹120 (120), then ₹10/hour. Pick/drop lanes have no wait-and-park; clamp/tow from ₹500. NH-354 is the highway spine (~20–40 minutes to the Golden Temple in cooperative traffic). Do not invent a live Metrobus or a terminal rail station.

Live conditions

Right now at ATQ

Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Golden Temple / Punjab diaspora trips that want one civil terminal without a Delhi origin
International Priority Pass / LoungeKey holders who can use Airr after immigration
Winter arrivals that benefit from published CAT III-B procedures on runway 34

Watch out for

No terminal rail — Metrobus Route 501 is not a live Plan A
FY 2025–26 passengers 2,941,017 (−17.0%); CAT III-B is RWY 34 only
Primus is a basic domestic SHA room; Airr DragonPass hours are not 24 hours
ATQ ≠ IXC ≠ DEL — wrong northern IATA is a multi-hour road day

Airportist Score

Why this score

Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.

Ease of use · 25%

Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.

7.6

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

6.3

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

5.9

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

6.5

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

6.3

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

6.4

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

2,941,017 (AAI FY 2025–26 Mar2k26 Annex 3; −17.0% vs 3,542,880). Intl 997,408 (−13.5%); domestic 1,943,609 (−18.7%). Cargo 3,660.6 t (+8.9%); movements 18,560 (−19.6%).

Terminals

Single integrated passenger terminal for domestic + international (AAI; commissioned 25 Feb 2009; published capacity 4.5 million)

On-time departures

78%

Typical security

18 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for ATQ.

Updated Oct 11, 2026

Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport (IATA ATQ / ICAO VIAR) is Amritsar’s AAI civil gateway at Raja Sansi on the Amritsar–Ajnala / NH-354 road, 11 km from the city (eAIP AMDT 05/2026: 325° / 11 km). Official page: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/amritsar. AAI marketing also styles “Ram Das Jee”; eAIP aerodrome name is DASS. Screenshot ATQ ≠ IXC (Chandigarh) ≠ DEL — the wrong northern IATA is a multi-hour road recovery.
One integrated passenger terminal (commissioned 25 February 2009) handles domestic and international flows in the same building. AAI: ~40,175 sqm including 9,000 sqm under development; published annual capacity 4.5 million (Wikipedia’s 2.5 million peak-year figure is stale); peak-hour 1,200; 30 CUTE check-in desks; 6 self-service kiosks; 4 aerobridges. There is no T1/T2 campus hop — still follow Domestic vs International / CIQ signs because Primus and Airr are sector-specific.
Traffic (AAI Mar2k26 annexes, Wayback 20260505074618 — not Wikipedia): FY 2025–26 2,941,017 passengers (−17.0% vs 3,542,880), of which 997,408 international (−13.5%) and 1,943,609 domestic (−18.7%); 18,560 movements (−19.6%); 3,660.6 tonnes cargo (+8.9%). Calendar-year 2025 Tribune/AAI monthly roll-up was a separate 31.45 lakh figure — do not mix FY and calendar totals.
Airfield (India eAIP AMDT 05/2026, effective 11 June 2026): ARP 31°42′38″N 074°48′01″E, elev 760 ft / 40 °C. Single runway 16/34 is 3,658 × 45 m (AAI page and eAIP — Wikipedia 3,657 m / 750 ft is wrong). Declared distances 3,658 m. Mixed pavement PCN 103/R/B/W/T concrete 869 m + 91/F/C/W/T bituminous 2,789 m. CAT III-B ILS / 900 m approach lighting is published on RWY 34 only (RVR down to 50 m); RWY 16 is SALS 420 m. Fire CAT-8. Civil passenger product only — Amritsar Air Force Station shares the wider airfield.
Lounges (live 11 Oct 2026): two soft rooms. Primus (domestic SHA, 2nd floor after security) — Priority Pass ATQ, LoungeKey ATQ, DragonPass A28019/N02341; PP/LK/DP hours 00:00–23:59 / 24hrs; PP max stay 3 h, children under 12 free on PP (DragonPass lists under 2); alcohol extra. The Airr Lounge and Bar (international SHA after passport control, 1st floor near Gate 6) — PP ATQ6, LoungeKey ATQ6, DragonPass A28019/N04964. Print hours separately: PP/LK 00:00–23:59 vs DragonPass 05:00 until last boarding. PP en-GB lists standard alcohol complimentary; LoungeKey / the other PP pin list alcohol extra — budget a tab. Costa Coffee PP Eat pins are not lounges. Do not invent an open international Primus from aggregator ghosts.
Ground (AAI node 2892): prepaid taxi, WTI Cabs, Ola and Uber. Pick/drop lanes are free but are not a wait-and-park; overstay can be clamped (minimum ₹500). Designated parking (Gr B): private cars ₹60 / 30 min, ₹90 / 60 min, ₹120 / 120 min, then ₹10/hour; two-wheelers ₹20 / ₹30 / ₹40 then ₹5/hour. No metro or suburban rail. Metrobus Route 501 airport link is not a live Plan A. DigiYatra among facilities inaugurated 30 March 2026; FTI-TTP e-gates for enrolled Indian/OCI travellers from 11 September 2025 (PIB / ftittp.mha.gov.in). Air India Easy Connect via DEL launched 28 July 2026 (27 destinations; DigiYatra enrolment required for Indian nationals on those itineraries).

13 official sources

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