IMFVEIMMinor

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport

Imphal, India · Asia-Pacific

AAI Manipur capital gateway at Tulihal — DigiYatra live since Mar 2026, IndiGo-shaped domestic banks, no Priority Pass soft lounge, and a short prepaid-taxi hop while the new integrated terminal finishes

Airportist Score

6.0/ 10

Mixed

Ease of use7.4
Comfort & amenities6.0
Food & retail5.4
Ground access7.6
Reliability5.6
Lounges2.0

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare IMF with another airport

Arrive
2 h
before departure
Typical security
22 min
editorial average, not live
Fastest to city
20–40 min
Prepaid / official taxi
Cheapest to city
Ola / Uber (signed pickup)
App quote · 20–40 min
On time
78%
of departures
Terminals
1

All airports

IMFVEIMMinor26°C / 79°F

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport

Imphal, India · Asia-Pacific

Airportist Score

6.0/ 10

Mixed

Ease of use7.4
Comfort & amenities6.0
Food & retail5.4
Ground access7.6
Reliability5.6
Lounges2.0

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare IMF with another airport

7 photos

Arrival in Imphal, Kangleipak (Manipur), through the Imphal International Airport (alias Bir Tikendrajit International Airport alias Tulihal International Airport)

Runway (Aeroplane landing point or airplane take off spot) in the Imphal International Airport (also known as Tulihal International Airport or Bir Tikendrajit International Airport) in Imphal, the capital city of Kangleipak (better known as Manipur state) - It is known as Imphal Malang Hithangpham (

Passengers passing to & from the gates of foreign nationals & Indian citizens in the Imphal International Airport ("Imphaal Leikoi Maalang Hithaangpham" in Meitei, the official language of Manipur state)

IMFGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

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

Timing

Compact live hall — DigiYatra helps, one strip still needs buffers

Short city hop and DigiYatra help; one runway and no PP lounge still need real buffers.

IMF’s live passenger hall is easy to read, but the field remains a single-runway AAI station with IndiGo / Air India Express / Alliance Air banks, North-East weather, and occasional highway / security friction on the city side. DigiYatra went live with a 29 Mar 2026 inauguration — confirm the app lists IMF and the e-gates are staffed before you skip the manual CISF line. Domestic ~2 hours early is the sane default. There is no live Priority Pass soft lounge to absorb a long hold.

Terminal

Live older hall only — NITB is still a Dec 2026 worksite

Single live passenger hall; NITB unfinished; zero live PP lounges.

Screenshot IMF ≠ GAU ≠ IXA ≠ AJL ≠ IXS ≠ DIB ≠ CCU before the car leaves Imphal / Thoubal / Churachandpur / Moreh. All scheduled passengers clear the existing AAI terminal (~10 check-in counters on IndiGo’s public directory). The New Integrated Terminal Building (~22–28k m² class in public project notes; ~50% mid-2026; 31 Dec 2026 target) is not today’s boarding map. Live Priority Pass soft directory = none.

Food

Landside sealed water is Plan A — no PP soft pour

No live PP soft room; landside bottles beat airside pricing.

Compact Tier-2 Indian F&B — café / snack counters, not a mall. Buy sealed water and snacks landside before CISF; airside café markup is the usual tax. Ignore Plaza Premium / Primus / Travel Club / Airr inventions — Priority Pass India’s live index has no Imphal pin.

Access

Prepaid taxi Plan A — ILP before the kerb argument

Short road hop; ILP is a Manipur entry rule, not an airport optional.

Use official prepaid taxi counters in arrivals or signed Ola / Uber pickup for the Tulihal run into city markets / Kangla / hotel belt (often ~20–40 minutes). Carry a valid Manipur ILP if you are a non-local Indian traveller — online issuance before departure is cleaner than hoping the airport counter is open and short. There is no passenger metro or rail platform inside the terminal.

Live conditions

Right now at IMF

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

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Travellers bound for Imphal / Manipur who need the state’s only scheduled commercial passenger airport
Domestic connectors on IndiGo / Air India Express / Alliance Air banks via GAU / CCU / DEL
Passengers who can use DigiYatra and accept a compact live hall instead of waiting for the unfinished NITB

Watch out for

No live Priority Pass soft lounge — ignore aggregator Plaza / Primus inventions
New Integrated Terminal Building still under construction (~50% mid-2026; 31 Dec 2026 target) — not today’s check-in map
Manipur Inner Line Permit required for most non-local Indian travellers — sort it before landside exit
Single runway 04/22 — monsoon / North-East weather and city-side security friction still need buffers

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.

7.4

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

6.0

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

5.4

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.6

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

5.6

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

2.0

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

1.37M

Terminals

On-time departures

78%

Typical security

22 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for IMF.

Updated Sep 9, 2026

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IATA IMF / ICAO VEIM), still widely called Imphal Airport / Tulihal Airport, is Manipur’s main civil passenger gateway and, on AAI FY 2025–26 annex traffic, the third-busiest airport in North-East India after Guwahati (GAU) and Agartala (IXA). The AAI campus sits at Tulihal about 7–8 km south of Imphal city centre (airline / Wikipedia directories). Owner is the Government of Manipur; operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page pattern: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/imphal. Screenshot IMF (VEIM) ≠ GAU (Guwahati) ≠ IXA (Agartala) ≠ AJL (Aizawl) ≠ IXS (Silchar) ≠ DIB (Dibrugarh) ≠ CCU (Kolkata) — the wrong North-East / Bengal IATA is a multi-hour road or extra flight day, not an airside hop. This is a pure AAI public civil passenger field (WWII RAF history only) — not a passenger enclave on an active naval or air-force base.
One live passenger terminal handles all scheduled flows today. Public carrier directories (e.g. IndiGo) still describe a compact hall with about 10 check-in counters on the existing campus. A New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) plus ATC / apron works — variously described in AAI / state coverage as roughly 22,000–28,125 m² with multi-MPPA design targets — remains under construction. Mid-2026 Manipur ACS / AAI reviews put physical progress around 50% with a 31 Dec 2026 completion push after conflict-era delays — treat that hall as a worksite, not today’s check-in map. Do not invent a second live passenger campus from NITB CGI or “international ready” brochure language.
Traffic (AAI Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026, as archived): 1,366,765 passengers (−2.8%), 10,542 aircraft movements (−14.9%), and 6,271.9 t cargo (+1.2%). Prefer the annex PDFs when auditing. International passenger columns in the same annexes print zeros for Imphal — scheduled metal remains domestic; trust the ticket / FIDS for any thin charter experiment.
Airfield (Wikipedia / India eAIP VEIM summaries): single runway 04/22 — 2,746 m asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 774 m / 2,540 ft. DigiYatra was inaugurated at Imphal on 29 March 2026 (Sangai Express / Union Civil Aviation minister virtual rollout with high-speed Wi-Fi, Flybrary, kids zone, and AVSAR artisan stalls). Still confirm the live DigiYatra app and terminal signage on your travel day; keep CISF document queues as Plan B.
Lounges (live Priority Pass India directory, checked Sep 2026): no Imphal / Tulihal / Bir Tikendrajit soft-lounge pin on the national India index — do not invent Plaza Premium / Primus / Travel Club / Airr / Encalm soft pins from aggregator mirrors. Airline CIP / paid walk-up rooms, if any desk still sells them, are not Priority Pass entitlements.
Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the short Tulihal run into Imphal city / Thangal Bazar / Kangla / Imphal Railway Station area (often ~20–40 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). There is no passenger rail or metro platform inside the terminal. Non-local Indian travellers normally need a Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) — apply online before travel or use the on-arrival ILP counter when it is staffed; foreigners should confirm current Protected / Restricted Area permit rules before they fly. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. GAU and CCU remain the usual diversion / alternate hubs when weather or schedule shocks constrain the single strip — those are separate airports, not airside hops.

10 official sources

Full guide

Explore the IMF guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

Alternatives

Nearby airports

Passenger airports within about 150 km. Scored airports show their Airportist Score so you can weigh a switch.

IMFGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

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

Timing

Compact live hall — DigiYatra helps, one strip still needs buffers

Short city hop and DigiYatra help; one runway and no PP lounge still need real buffers.

Terminal

Live older hall only — NITB is still a Dec 2026 worksite

Single live passenger hall; NITB unfinished; zero live PP lounges.

Food

Landside sealed water is Plan A — no PP soft pour

No live PP soft room; landside bottles beat airside pricing.

Access

Prepaid taxi Plan A — ILP before the kerb argument

Short road hop; ILP is a Manipur entry rule, not an airport optional.

Live conditions

Right now at IMF

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

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Travellers bound for Imphal / Manipur who need the state’s only scheduled commercial passenger airport
Domestic connectors on IndiGo / Air India Express / Alliance Air banks via GAU / CCU / DEL
Passengers who can use DigiYatra and accept a compact live hall instead of waiting for the unfinished NITB

Watch out for

No live Priority Pass soft lounge — ignore aggregator Plaza / Primus inventions
New Integrated Terminal Building still under construction (~50% mid-2026; 31 Dec 2026 target) — not today’s check-in map
Manipur Inner Line Permit required for most non-local Indian travellers — sort it before landside exit
Single runway 04/22 — monsoon / North-East weather and city-side security friction still need buffers

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.

7.4

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

6.0

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

5.4

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.6

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

5.6

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

2.0

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

1.37M

Terminals

On-time departures

78%

Typical security

22 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for IMF.

Updated Sep 9, 2026

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IATA IMF / ICAO VEIM), still widely called Imphal Airport / Tulihal Airport, is Manipur’s main civil passenger gateway and, on AAI FY 2025–26 annex traffic, the third-busiest airport in North-East India after Guwahati (GAU) and Agartala (IXA). The AAI campus sits at Tulihal about 7–8 km south of Imphal city centre (airline / Wikipedia directories). Owner is the Government of Manipur; operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page pattern: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/imphal. Screenshot IMF (VEIM) ≠ GAU (Guwahati) ≠ IXA (Agartala) ≠ AJL (Aizawl) ≠ IXS (Silchar) ≠ DIB (Dibrugarh) ≠ CCU (Kolkata) — the wrong North-East / Bengal IATA is a multi-hour road or extra flight day, not an airside hop. This is a pure AAI public civil passenger field (WWII RAF history only) — not a passenger enclave on an active naval or air-force base.
One live passenger terminal handles all scheduled flows today. Public carrier directories (e.g. IndiGo) still describe a compact hall with about 10 check-in counters on the existing campus. A New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) plus ATC / apron works — variously described in AAI / state coverage as roughly 22,000–28,125 m² with multi-MPPA design targets — remains under construction. Mid-2026 Manipur ACS / AAI reviews put physical progress around 50% with a 31 Dec 2026 completion push after conflict-era delays — treat that hall as a worksite, not today’s check-in map. Do not invent a second live passenger campus from NITB CGI or “international ready” brochure language.
Traffic (AAI Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026, as archived): 1,366,765 passengers (−2.8%), 10,542 aircraft movements (−14.9%), and 6,271.9 t cargo (+1.2%). Prefer the annex PDFs when auditing. International passenger columns in the same annexes print zeros for Imphal — scheduled metal remains domestic; trust the ticket / FIDS for any thin charter experiment.
Airfield (Wikipedia / India eAIP VEIM summaries): single runway 04/22 — 2,746 m asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 774 m / 2,540 ft. DigiYatra was inaugurated at Imphal on 29 March 2026 (Sangai Express / Union Civil Aviation minister virtual rollout with high-speed Wi-Fi, Flybrary, kids zone, and AVSAR artisan stalls). Still confirm the live DigiYatra app and terminal signage on your travel day; keep CISF document queues as Plan B.
Lounges (live Priority Pass India directory, checked Sep 2026): no Imphal / Tulihal / Bir Tikendrajit soft-lounge pin on the national India index — do not invent Plaza Premium / Primus / Travel Club / Airr / Encalm soft pins from aggregator mirrors. Airline CIP / paid walk-up rooms, if any desk still sells them, are not Priority Pass entitlements.
Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the short Tulihal run into Imphal city / Thangal Bazar / Kangla / Imphal Railway Station area (often ~20–40 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). There is no passenger rail or metro platform inside the terminal. Non-local Indian travellers normally need a Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) — apply online before travel or use the on-arrival ILP counter when it is staffed; foreigners should confirm current Protected / Restricted Area permit rules before they fly. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. GAU and CCU remain the usual diversion / alternate hubs when weather or schedule shocks constrain the single strip — those are separate airports, not airside hops.

10 official sources

Full guide

Explore the IMF guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

IMFGuide

Unlock Traveler Tips

Traveler Tips is for HonestAirport members. $8/month unlocks the extra airport tabs and every lounge page. Cancel anytime — access ends when the membership ends.

Subscribe — $8/month Already a member?

IMFGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

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

Timing

Compact live hall — DigiYatra helps, one strip still needs buffers

Short city hop and DigiYatra help; one runway and no PP lounge still need real buffers.

Terminal

Live older hall only — NITB is still a Dec 2026 worksite

Single live passenger hall; NITB unfinished; zero live PP lounges.

Food

Landside sealed water is Plan A — no PP soft pour

No live PP soft room; landside bottles beat airside pricing.

Access

Prepaid taxi Plan A — ILP before the kerb argument

Short road hop; ILP is a Manipur entry rule, not an airport optional.

Live conditions

Right now at IMF

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

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Travellers bound for Imphal / Manipur who need the state’s only scheduled commercial passenger airport
Domestic connectors on IndiGo / Air India Express / Alliance Air banks via GAU / CCU / DEL
Passengers who can use DigiYatra and accept a compact live hall instead of waiting for the unfinished NITB

Watch out for

No live Priority Pass soft lounge — ignore aggregator Plaza / Primus inventions
New Integrated Terminal Building still under construction (~50% mid-2026; 31 Dec 2026 target) — not today’s check-in map
Manipur Inner Line Permit required for most non-local Indian travellers — sort it before landside exit
Single runway 04/22 — monsoon / North-East weather and city-side security friction still need buffers

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.

7.4

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

6.0

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

5.4

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.6

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

5.6

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

2.0

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

1.37M

Terminals

On-time departures

78%

Typical security

22 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for IMF.

Updated Sep 9, 2026

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IATA IMF / ICAO VEIM), still widely called Imphal Airport / Tulihal Airport, is Manipur’s main civil passenger gateway and, on AAI FY 2025–26 annex traffic, the third-busiest airport in North-East India after Guwahati (GAU) and Agartala (IXA). The AAI campus sits at Tulihal about 7–8 km south of Imphal city centre (airline / Wikipedia directories). Owner is the Government of Manipur; operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page pattern: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/imphal. Screenshot IMF (VEIM) ≠ GAU (Guwahati) ≠ IXA (Agartala) ≠ AJL (Aizawl) ≠ IXS (Silchar) ≠ DIB (Dibrugarh) ≠ CCU (Kolkata) — the wrong North-East / Bengal IATA is a multi-hour road or extra flight day, not an airside hop. This is a pure AAI public civil passenger field (WWII RAF history only) — not a passenger enclave on an active naval or air-force base.
One live passenger terminal handles all scheduled flows today. Public carrier directories (e.g. IndiGo) still describe a compact hall with about 10 check-in counters on the existing campus. A New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) plus ATC / apron works — variously described in AAI / state coverage as roughly 22,000–28,125 m² with multi-MPPA design targets — remains under construction. Mid-2026 Manipur ACS / AAI reviews put physical progress around 50% with a 31 Dec 2026 completion push after conflict-era delays — treat that hall as a worksite, not today’s check-in map. Do not invent a second live passenger campus from NITB CGI or “international ready” brochure language.
Traffic (AAI Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026, as archived): 1,366,765 passengers (−2.8%), 10,542 aircraft movements (−14.9%), and 6,271.9 t cargo (+1.2%). Prefer the annex PDFs when auditing. International passenger columns in the same annexes print zeros for Imphal — scheduled metal remains domestic; trust the ticket / FIDS for any thin charter experiment.
Airfield (Wikipedia / India eAIP VEIM summaries): single runway 04/22 — 2,746 m asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 774 m / 2,540 ft. DigiYatra was inaugurated at Imphal on 29 March 2026 (Sangai Express / Union Civil Aviation minister virtual rollout with high-speed Wi-Fi, Flybrary, kids zone, and AVSAR artisan stalls). Still confirm the live DigiYatra app and terminal signage on your travel day; keep CISF document queues as Plan B.
Lounges (live Priority Pass India directory, checked Sep 2026): no Imphal / Tulihal / Bir Tikendrajit soft-lounge pin on the national India index — do not invent Plaza Premium / Primus / Travel Club / Airr / Encalm soft pins from aggregator mirrors. Airline CIP / paid walk-up rooms, if any desk still sells them, are not Priority Pass entitlements.
Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the short Tulihal run into Imphal city / Thangal Bazar / Kangla / Imphal Railway Station area (often ~20–40 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). There is no passenger rail or metro platform inside the terminal. Non-local Indian travellers normally need a Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) — apply online before travel or use the on-arrival ILP counter when it is staffed; foreigners should confirm current Protected / Restricted Area permit rules before they fly. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. GAU and CCU remain the usual diversion / alternate hubs when weather or schedule shocks constrain the single strip — those are separate airports, not airside hops.

10 official sources

Full guide

Explore the IMF guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

IMFGuide

Unlock Traveler Tips

Traveler Tips is for HonestAirport members. $8/month unlocks the extra airport tabs and every lounge page. Cancel anytime — access ends when the membership ends.

Subscribe — $8/month Already a member?

IMFGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

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

Timing

Compact live hall — DigiYatra helps, one strip still needs buffers

Short city hop and DigiYatra help; one runway and no PP lounge still need real buffers.

Terminal

Live older hall only — NITB is still a Dec 2026 worksite

Single live passenger hall; NITB unfinished; zero live PP lounges.

Food

Landside sealed water is Plan A — no PP soft pour

No live PP soft room; landside bottles beat airside pricing.

Access

Prepaid taxi Plan A — ILP before the kerb argument

Short road hop; ILP is a Manipur entry rule, not an airport optional.

Live conditions

Right now at IMF

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

Security wait times

Current security wait information is not available for this airport. Check the airport's official website or app before travel.

Official airport site

Operational status

Normal operations

No Flighty-reported operational issues for this airport.

Source: Flighty Airports

Status response Sep 9, 10:01 UTC · Confirm live conditions with official sources before travel.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Travellers bound for Imphal / Manipur who need the state’s only scheduled commercial passenger airport
Domestic connectors on IndiGo / Air India Express / Alliance Air banks via GAU / CCU / DEL
Passengers who can use DigiYatra and accept a compact live hall instead of waiting for the unfinished NITB

Watch out for

No live Priority Pass soft lounge — ignore aggregator Plaza / Primus inventions
New Integrated Terminal Building still under construction (~50% mid-2026; 31 Dec 2026 target) — not today’s check-in map
Manipur Inner Line Permit required for most non-local Indian travellers — sort it before landside exit
Single runway 04/22 — monsoon / North-East weather and city-side security friction still need buffers

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.

7.4

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

6.0

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

5.4

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.6

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

5.6

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

2.0

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

1.37M

Terminals

On-time departures

78%

Typical security

22 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for IMF.

Updated Sep 9, 2026

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport (IATA IMF / ICAO VEIM), still widely called Imphal Airport / Tulihal Airport, is Manipur’s main civil passenger gateway and, on AAI FY 2025–26 annex traffic, the third-busiest airport in North-East India after Guwahati (GAU) and Agartala (IXA). The AAI campus sits at Tulihal about 7–8 km south of Imphal city centre (airline / Wikipedia directories). Owner is the Government of Manipur; operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page pattern: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/imphal. Screenshot IMF (VEIM) ≠ GAU (Guwahati) ≠ IXA (Agartala) ≠ AJL (Aizawl) ≠ IXS (Silchar) ≠ DIB (Dibrugarh) ≠ CCU (Kolkata) — the wrong North-East / Bengal IATA is a multi-hour road or extra flight day, not an airside hop. This is a pure AAI public civil passenger field (WWII RAF history only) — not a passenger enclave on an active naval or air-force base.
One live passenger terminal handles all scheduled flows today. Public carrier directories (e.g. IndiGo) still describe a compact hall with about 10 check-in counters on the existing campus. A New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) plus ATC / apron works — variously described in AAI / state coverage as roughly 22,000–28,125 m² with multi-MPPA design targets — remains under construction. Mid-2026 Manipur ACS / AAI reviews put physical progress around 50% with a 31 Dec 2026 completion push after conflict-era delays — treat that hall as a worksite, not today’s check-in map. Do not invent a second live passenger campus from NITB CGI or “international ready” brochure language.
Traffic (AAI Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026, as archived): 1,366,765 passengers (−2.8%), 10,542 aircraft movements (−14.9%), and 6,271.9 t cargo (+1.2%). Prefer the annex PDFs when auditing. International passenger columns in the same annexes print zeros for Imphal — scheduled metal remains domestic; trust the ticket / FIDS for any thin charter experiment.
Airfield (Wikipedia / India eAIP VEIM summaries): single runway 04/22 — 2,746 m asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 774 m / 2,540 ft. DigiYatra was inaugurated at Imphal on 29 March 2026 (Sangai Express / Union Civil Aviation minister virtual rollout with high-speed Wi-Fi, Flybrary, kids zone, and AVSAR artisan stalls). Still confirm the live DigiYatra app and terminal signage on your travel day; keep CISF document queues as Plan B.
Lounges (live Priority Pass India directory, checked Sep 2026): no Imphal / Tulihal / Bir Tikendrajit soft-lounge pin on the national India index — do not invent Plaza Premium / Primus / Travel Club / Airr / Encalm soft pins from aggregator mirrors. Airline CIP / paid walk-up rooms, if any desk still sells them, are not Priority Pass entitlements.
Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the short Tulihal run into Imphal city / Thangal Bazar / Kangla / Imphal Railway Station area (often ~20–40 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). There is no passenger rail or metro platform inside the terminal. Non-local Indian travellers normally need a Manipur Inner Line Permit (ILP) — apply online before travel or use the on-arrival ILP counter when it is staffed; foreigners should confirm current Protected / Restricted Area permit rules before they fly. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. GAU and CCU remain the usual diversion / alternate hubs when weather or schedule shocks constrain the single strip — those are separate airports, not airside hops.

10 official sources

Full guide

Explore the IMF guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

Know before you go

Right now at IMF

Who this airport works for

Why this score

Explore the IMF guide

Getting There

Lounges

Traveler Tips

Amenities

Water

Reviews

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Explore the IMF guide

Getting There

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Water

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Why this score

Explore the IMF guide

Getting There

Lounges

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Amenities

Water

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Know before you go

Right now at IMF

Who this airport works for

Why this score

Explore the IMF guide

Getting There

Lounges

Traveler Tips

Amenities

Water

Reviews

Unlock Traveler Tips