--- iata: IXR name: Birsa Munda Airport city: Ranchi country: India lastUpdated: '2026-09-08' officialWebsite: 'https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/ranchi' sources: - 'https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/ranchi' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birsa_Munda_Airport' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_India' - >- https://web.archive.org/web/20260425035010/https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k26Annex3.pdf - >- https://web.archive.org/web/20260428091121/https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k26Annex2.pdf - >- https://web.archive.org/web/20260424120057/https://www.aai.aero/sites/default/files/traffic-news/Mar2k26Annex4.pdf - >- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/jump-queues-at-ranchi-airport-with-digi-yatra-app/articleshow/113140061.cms - >- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/seamless-check-in-digiyatra-launched-at-9-more-airports-check-list/articleshow/113121369.cms - 'https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/india/birsa-munda' - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/india/birsa-munda/ixr2-the-airr-lounge-and-bar quickFacts: - >- Birsa Munda Airport (IATA IXR / ICAO VERC; also styled Ranchi Airport in older local usage) is Jharkhand’s primary civil gateway, about 5–8 km from Ranchi centre on an AAI campus at Hinoo (~1,568 acres on AAI / Wikipedia summaries). Owner and operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/ranchi (AAI director contact still uses apd_verc@aai.aero). Screenshot IXR (VERC) ≠ PAT (Patna) ≠ GAY (Gaya) ≠ IXB (Bagdogra) ≠ IXW (Jamshedpur Sonari) — the wrong eastern-India IATA is a multi-hour road day, not an airside hop. This is an AAI public domestic passenger airport (civil aerodrome since 1949 after a wartime RAF field) — not a passenger enclave on a naval or air-force base like VTZ / PNQ / GOI. Expansion MoUs do mention army land swaps for strip widening; that does not turn today’s check-in hall into a military-only field. - >- One integrated passenger terminal (inaugurated 24 Mar 2013 by then Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh; ~19,600 m²; ~₹138 crore at build; public peak design often cited as ~500 domestic + ~200 international simultaneous passengers; four aerobridges on public summaries) handles all scheduled passenger flows today. A separate cargo terminal (Feb 2017 inauguration; ~50 t/day design) is not a passenger check-in hall. The airport is still classified as domestic — Wikipedia and live schedule mirrors show IndiGo + Air India Express domestic trunks only; there is no durable scheduled international CIQ product as of Sep 2026. Expansion toward a longer runway (~3,655 m from today’s 2,748 m), wider strip, isolation bay, and a larger terminal remains land / funding dependent after the Jun 2022 state–AAI MoU — treat CGIs and “international tag” press as future capacity, not today’s floor plan. May 2026 Union Civil Aviation coverage also cited a ~₹100 crore amenity / navigation push (feature wall, Udaan café, kids zone, flybrary; CAT-II lighting after land acquisition) — confirm what is actually open on your floor. - >- Traffic (AAI annexes for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026, as compiled on Wikipedia and verified from archived Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs): 2,701,796 passengers (+5.2% vs 2,569,371), 18,393 aircraft movements (−4.8% vs 19,314), and 7,741.0 t cargo (+16.2% vs 6,662.1). Prefer AAI annex PDFs when auditing. Domestic banks are IndiGo-heavy into Delhi / Mumbai / Kolkata / Bengaluru / Hyderabad and similar trunks, with Air India Express on overlapping metros — always trust the ticket and FIDS, never a brochure. No scheduled international nonstops to invent from aggregator “charter once” folklore. - >- Airfield (Wikipedia / public technical summaries for VERC): single runway 13/31 — 2,748 m × 45 m asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 646 m / 2,119 ft on the Chotanagpur Plateau; CAT I ILS published both ends. DigiYatra launched 6 Sep 2024 as part of the MoCA nine-airport AAI expansion that also covered Patna, Indore, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Bagdogra, Coimbatore, Dabolim, and Visakhapatnam (ToI) — domestic biometric facilitation only. - >- Lounges (live Priority Pass Ranchi Birsa Munda / IXR directory, checked Sep 2026): one soft room — The Airr Lounge and Bar (domestic airside after Security Hold Area, Level 1 near Boarding Gate 5; published 06:00–23:00 daily; max stay 2 hours; children under 5 free; digital card accepted; standard alcohol listed as extra payment on PP). Live PP soft directory = Airr only — do not invent Plaza Premium / Travel Club / Primus / Encalm soft pins from aggregator mirrors. - >- Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the short Hinoo run into Main Road / Doranda / Ranchi Junction / Harmu (often ~15–30 minutes in normal traffic). There is no Ranchi Metro station inside the passenger terminal — metro coverage is still planning / revised DPR news (ToI), not an airport people-mover. Hatia / Ranchi Junction are separate road transfers. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: DigiYatra helps domestically — still budget IndiGo banks and one strip detail: >- DigiYatra can shrink domestic entry / CISF / boarding for enrolled Indian nationals when e-gates and face pods are staffed (MoCA nine-airport launch 6 Sep 2024; ToI Ranchi wrap). IXR remains a single-runway domestic field with IndiGo-heavy banks and Chotanagpur monsoon / thunderstorm weather — the Feb 2026 air-ambulance accident coverage is a reminder that severe weather still bites eastern India, even if scheduled jet ops usually recover. Domestic ~2 hours early is the sane default. Airr Lounge’s Priority Pass window publishes 06:00–23:00 with a 2-hour max stay — confirm the live app before a red-eye that arrives outside those hours. summary: >- DigiYatra and a compact campus help; one runway plus evening banks still need real buffers. category: timing - label: Terminal title: One integrated hall — do not invent a second passenger campus detail: >- Screenshot IXR ≠ PAT ≠ GAY ≠ IXB ≠ IXW before the car leaves Main Road / Doranda / Hinoo. All scheduled passengers still clear the 2013 integrated terminal; the cargo shed and any expansion CGIs are not today’s check-in hall. Live Priority Pass pin: The Airr Lounge and Bar after domestic security on Level 1 near Gate 5 (airside). Follow boarding-pass / FIDS signs, not a dual-terminal blog map or an “international wing” that does not exist for scheduled metal. summary: Single passenger hall; boarding-pass letters beat folklore. category: terminal - label: Food title: Airr if entitled airside — landside sealed water is still Plan A detail: >- Live Priority Pass product is The Airr Lounge and Bar (domestic airside after SHA, Level 1 near Gate 5; 06:00–23:00; max 2h; children under 5 free; standard alcohol listed as extra payment). Without entitlement, buy sealed water and snacks landside before CISF; airside café markup is the usual Indian-airport tax. May 2026 coverage cited a new Udaan café / kids zone / flybrary package — confirm what is actually open on your floor. Ignore aggregator Plaza Premium / Travel Club inventions — live PP directory = Airr only. summary: One live PP soft room; landside bottles still beat airside pricing. category: food - label: Access title: Prepaid taxi Plan A — no terminal metro detail: >- Use official prepaid taxi counters in arrivals or signed Ola / Uber pickup for the Hinoo run into the city (often ~15–30 minutes in normal traffic; confirm the board / app quote). Ranchi Junction and Hatia are separate road transfers. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. Do not invent an in-terminal metro platform from Ranchi Metro planning coverage. summary: Short road hop into Ranchi; metro is not at the kerb. category: status lounges: - name: The Airr Lounge and Bar zone: >- Airside domestic departures — after Security Hold Area, Level 1 near Boarding Gate 5 (Priority Pass ixr2-the-airr-lounge-and-bar). hours: '06:00-23:00' access: - Priority Pass / LoungeKey / DragonPass (confirm live PP listing) - Eligible Indian premium credit-card programmes that list this lounge pin - Paid walk-up when the operator offers it (confirm desk) bestFor: - Domestic departures with Priority Pass after clearing CISF - Travellers who want a soft-lounge sit before boarding (max 2 hours) summary: >- Live Priority Pass soft lounge for domestic airside. Published hours 06:00–23:00 daily; location is departures after Security Hold Area on Level 1 near Boarding Gate 5. PP conditions list a maximum 2-hour stay, children under 5 free, digital card accepted, air-conditioning, flight information, newspapers/magazines, and standard alcoholic drinks as extra payment — this is not a fully inclusive free-pour soft room. Live PP soft directory = Airr only. verdict: worth-it terminal: Integrated Terminal (Domestic airside) amenities: - >- Air conditioning / digital card accepted / flight information / newspapers & magazines listed on PP - Standard alcoholic drinks listed as extra payment on PP - Children under 5 admitted free on PP conditions - 'Published 06:00–23:00; maximum 2-hour stay (confirm desk)' waterOptions: - kind: purchase name: Landside sealed water (check-in / departures hall) zone: landside price: >- Typical Indian-airport sealed-bottle markup — confirm shelf tag (often roughly ₹40–80) summary: >- Best default hydration play — buy sealed water landside before CISF so you are not hostage to airside café pricing after a Hinoo road transfer. location: >- Convenience and café kiosks in the integrated terminal departures / check-in hall before security / DigiYatra entry terminal: Integrated Terminal landside isBestValue: true - kind: purchase name: Airside retail water zone: airside price: Higher than landside — confirm shelf tag summary: >- Markup backup once you are through security; fine for a top-up, poor as Plan A. location: Post-security café and retail units toward domestic gates / SHA terminal: Integrated Terminal airside - kind: free name: Airr Lounge drinks (entitlement only) zone: airside summary: >- Soft / listed drinks with accepted Priority Pass entitlement only during published 06:00–23:00 hours (max 2h stay) — not a public fountain. Standard alcohol is listed as extra payment on PP; do not assume a free pour. location: >- The Airr Lounge and Bar, domestic airside Level 1 near Gate 5 after SHA, during published hours terminal: Integrated Terminal (Domestic) airside isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 6.7 slug: ixr region: Asia-Pacific --- > Markdown for [/airports/ixr](/airports/ixr). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/ixr) - [Lounge directory](/airports/ixr/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Birsa Munda Airport (IXR) Ranchi, India · Asia-Pacific Jharkhand’s AAI domestic gateway at Hinoo — compact 2013 integrated hall, DigiYatra since Sep 2024, one live Priority Pass soft room (Airr near Gate 5), and a short prepaid-taxi hop into Ranchi. Single runway and IndiGo-heavy banks still need real buffers; no scheduled international CIQ and no terminal metro. ## Airportist Score **6.7 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.4 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 6.2 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 5.8 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.6 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 6.0 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 6.8 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 2,701,796 (AAI FY 2025–26 via Mar2k26 Annex III; +5.2% YoY); cargo 7,741.0 t (+16.2%); movements 18,393 (−4.8%) - Terminals: 1 integrated AAI passenger terminal (~19,600 m²; inaugurated 24 Mar 2013) for all scheduled domestic flows; separate cargo terminal (2017); expansion / international tag still land-dependent - Typical security: 18 min - On-time: 74% - Disruption: normal ## Best for - Domestic trips into Ranchi / Jharkhand capital region - Travellers who want a short road transfer (~15–30 min) from a compact single hall - Priority Pass holders who clear CISF during Airr’s 06:00–23:00 window - Connections that stay domestic rather than inventing international CIQ here ## Watch out for - Confusing IXR with PAT / GAY / IXB / IXW - Aggregator lounge directories inventing Plaza Premium / Travel Club pins - Assuming scheduled international immigration exists - Inventing a Ranchi Metro stop inside the terminal - Red-eyes outside Airr’s published 06:00–23:00 / 2-hour max stay - Monsoon / thunderstorm banks on the single 13/31 strip ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/ixr/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/ixr/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/ixr/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/ixr/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/ixr/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/ixr/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/ixr/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/ixr/reviews.md)