--- iata: VNS name: Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport city: Varanasi country: India lastUpdated: '2026-09-08' officialWebsite: 'https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/varanasi' sources: - 'https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/varanasi' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lal_Bahadur_Shastri_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://www.aai.aero/en/biometric-boarding-system' - >- https://zeenews.india.com/aviation/govt-launches-paperless-boarding-initiative-digiyatra-at-varanasi-airport-2544642.html - >- https://www.pmindia.gov.in/en/news_updates/cabinet-approves-development-of-lal-bahadur-shastri-international-airport-varanasi/ - >- https://www.aviation-defence-universe.com/minister-naidu-reviews-new-varanasi-terminal-under-construction/ - 'https://www.prioritypass.com/lounges/india/lal-bahadur-shastri' - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/india/lal-bahadur-shastri/vns1d-take-off-bar-and-lounge - 'https://varanasi.nic.in/how-to-reach/' quickFacts: - >- Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (IATA VNS / ICAO VEBN; still called Varanasi / Babatpur Airport in local speech) is Uttar Pradesh’s second-busiest civil gateway after Lucknow, about 25–26 km northwest of the ghats / Cantonment on an AAI campus at Babatpur. Owner and operator is the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Official passenger page pattern: https://www.aai.aero/en/airports/varanasi. Screenshot VNS (VEBN) ≠ LKO (Lucknow CCS) ≠ AYJ (Ayodhya) ≠ GOP (Gorakhpur) ≠ DBR (Darbhanga) — the wrong Purvanchal / Awadh IATA is a multi-hour road day, not an airside hop. This is an AAI public international passenger airport (renamed for Lal Bahadur Shastri in October 2005) — not a military-only field; treat any VIP/protocol rooms as non-public. - >- One integrated passenger terminal handles domestic and international flows today. AAI / AERA project filings describe the live hall at roughly ~24,000 m² with about 3.9 MPPA design capacity and ~1,050 peak-hour passengers; older encyclopedia blurbs still quote a much smaller ~3,900 m² figure from an earlier phase — trust the live check-in / CISF / CIQ floor you are standing in, not a CGI. A new ~75,000–75,600 m² terminal (about 6 MPPA design; Kashi Vishwanath–inspired architecture; part of a ~₹2,870 crore runway / apron / parallel-taxi package that lifts campus capacity toward ~9.9 MPPA) had its foundation stone laid on 20 Oct 2024 and was still under construction with ministerial reviews through Jun–Jul 2026 — not today’s boarding gates. Do not invent a second live passenger campus. - >- Traffic (AAI Mar2k26 Annex II–IV PDFs for FY 2025–26 / 1 Apr 2025–31 Mar 2026): 4,343,347 passengers (+7.8% vs 4,027,810), 27,822 aircraft movements (+4.3% vs 26,687), and 6,843.6 t cargo (+13.4% vs 6,033.8). International remains a thin slice of the total (Annex III international row ~142,578 passengers / +17.3%; domestic ~4,200,769 / +7.5%). Prefer AAI annex PDFs when auditing. Domestic banks are IndiGo-heavy into Delhi / Mumbai / Bengaluru / Hyderabad / Kolkata and similar trunks, with Air India / Air India Express and other Indian LCCs on overlapping metros; international metal is thin and schedule-fragile (Gulf / Buddhist-circuit / Nepal-linked cities appear in public network summaries) — always trust the ticket and FIDS. - >- Airfield (Wikipedia / public technical summaries for VEBN): single runway 09/27 — 2,745 m × 45 m asphalt; aerodrome elevation about 82 m / 270 ft; apron parking for a limited number of narrow-bodies on public summaries. DigiYatra launched 1 Dec 2022 in the first national wave with Delhi and Bengaluru (AAI biometric boarding page; Zee News / Passenger Terminal Today) — domestic biometric facilitation only, not immigration. - >- Lounges (live Priority Pass Varanasi Lal Bahadur Shastri / VNS directory, checked Sep 2026): no classic soft room — only the Eat / restaurant programme pin Take Off Bar and Lounge (domestic airside near Gate 2; published 05:00–21:00 daily). PP entitlement is framed as a buffet spread per 24 hours; à la carte and soft drinks are listed as extra payment; seating is capacity-limited at the restaurant’s discretion. Live PP soft/restaurant directory = Take Off only — do not invent Plaza Premium / Travel Club / Primus soft pins from aggregator mirrors. Visa/Mastercard India lounge PDFs list the same VNS1D domestic airside Gate 2 pin. - >- Ground: prepaid taxi / signed app cabs remain Plan A for the ~25–26 km Babatpur run into Cantonment / Godowlia / Assi / BHU / Sarnath (often ~45–75 minutes depending on old-city congestion and barricades). There is no Varanasi Metro station inside the passenger terminal. Electric city / UPSRTC buses toward Cantonment / Cantt Railway Station exist as daylight budget tools when the stand board is live — not a late-night oversized- luggage guarantee. Varanasi Junction / Cantt and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction (DDU) are separate road transfers. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: DigiYatra helps domestically — still budget one strip and pilgrimage banks detail: >- DigiYatra can shrink domestic entry / CISF / boarding for enrolled Indian nationals when e-gates and face pods are staffed (first-wave launch 1 Dec 2022 with DEL and BLR; AAI / Zee News). VNS remains a single-runway field with IndiGo-heavy banks, winter fog risk on the Gangetic plain, and sharp pilgrimage / festival peaks (Dev Deepavali, Kartik, major temple calendar days) — domestic ~2 hours early is the sane default, longer when the city is in festival mode. Take Off Bar and Lounge’s Priority Pass window publishes 05:00–21:00 — useless for a red-eye that only goes airside after 21:00, so do not bank a “lounge dinner” you cannot eat. summary: >- DigiYatra and a compact hall help; one runway plus festival banks still need real buffers. category: timing - label: Terminal title: 'One integrated hall today — the ~75,000 m² shell is still a worksite' detail: >- Screenshot VNS ≠ LKO ≠ AYJ ≠ GOP ≠ DBR before the car leaves Cantonment / Lanka / Sigra. All scheduled passengers still clear the live integrated terminal; the Oct 2024–founded new terminal / runway-extension package reviewed again in mid-2026 is construction traffic, not a sterile walk to a second check-in campus. Live Priority Pass pin: Take Off Bar and Lounge after domestic security near Gate 2 (airside restaurant programme). Follow boarding-pass / FIDS / domestic vs international CIQ signs, not a dual-terminal blog map drawn from the CGI. summary: Single passenger hall today; CGIs are not boarding gates. category: terminal - label: Food title: Take Off buffet if entitled — otherwise landside sealed water before CISF detail: >- Live Priority Pass product is Take Off Bar and Lounge (domestic airside near Gate 2; 05:00–21:00) — a buffet-spread restaurant entitlement, not a classic soft lounge. Soft drinks and à la carte are listed as extra on PP conditions; the restaurant may refuse when full. Without entitlement, buy sealed water and snacks landside before CISF; airside F&B depth is thin versus Lucknow or Delhi and markup is the usual Indian-airport tax. Ignore aggregator Plaza Premium inventions — live PP directory = Take Off only. summary: One live PP restaurant pin; landside bottles still beat airside pricing. category: food - label: Access title: Prepaid taxi Plan A — no terminal metro; budget 45–75 minutes detail: >- Use official prepaid taxi counters in arrivals or signed Ola / Uber pickup for the Babatpur run into the city / ghats / Sarnath (often ~45–75 minutes; confirm the board / app quote). Old-city lanes and festival barricades can force a final walk or e-rickshaw handoff — taxis do not always reach the exact ghat gate. Cantonment / Varanasi Junction and DDU Junction are separate road transfers. Late nights default to prepaid / app cabs. Do not invent an in-terminal metro platform. summary: Longish road hop into Kashi; metro is not at the kerb. category: status lounges: - name: Take Off Bar and Lounge zone: >- Airside domestic departures — near Gate 2 (Priority Pass vns1d-take-off-bar-and-lounge). hours: '05:00-21:00' access: - Priority Pass / LoungeKey / DragonPass (confirm live PP listing) - Eligible Indian premium credit-card programmes that list this VNS1D pin - Paid walk-up when the operator offers it (confirm desk) bestFor: - 'Domestic departures with Priority Pass after clearing CISF before 21:00' - Travellers who want a buffet sit rather than a classic soft lounge summary: >- Live Priority Pass restaurant / Eat programme for domestic airside — not a classic soft lounge. Published hours 05:00–21:00 daily; location is domestic departures near Gate 2. PP conditions list a buffet spread as one visit entitlement per 24 hours, digital card accepted, air-conditioning, flight information, televisions, and Wi-Fi on the facilities list; soft drinks and à la carte are extra payment; seating is capacity-limited at the restaurant’s discretion. Live PP soft/restaurant directory = Take Off only. verdict: depends terminal: Integrated Terminal (Domestic airside) amenities: - >- Air conditioning / digital card accepted / flight information / televisions / Wi-Fi listed on PP - Buffet-spread entitlement on PP (1 per 24h) - Soft drinks and à la carte listed as extra payment on PP - 'Published 05:00–21:00; capacity-limited seating (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 thin airside retail after a long Babatpur 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 given limited airside F&B depth. location: Post-security café and retail units toward domestic gates near Gate 2 terminal: Integrated Terminal airside - kind: free name: Take Off drinks (entitlement / paid order only) zone: airside summary: >- Soft drinks with the Priority Pass buffet entitlement are still listed as subject to payment on the live PP conditions — treat lounge drinks as entitlement + extra charges, not a public fountain. Restaurant publishes 05:00–21:00. location: >- Take Off Bar and Lounge, domestic airside near Gate 2, during published hours terminal: Integrated Terminal (Domestic) airside isBestQuality: true airportistScore: 6 slug: vns region: Asia-Pacific --- > Markdown for [/airports/vns](/airports/vns). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/vns) - [Lounge directory](/airports/vns/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (VNS) Varanasi, India · Asia-Pacific AAI’s Babatpur gateway for Kashi — one integrated hall ~25–26 km from the ghats, DigiYatra since the 1 Dec 2022 first wave, and a Priority Pass restaurant pin (Take Off near Gate 2, 05:00–21:00) instead of a classic soft lounge. Long prepaid-taxi hop, single 09/27 strip, winter fog and pilgrimage banks still need real buffers; the ~75,000 m² expansion hall is still a worksite. ## Airportist Score **6.0 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 7.0 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 5.8 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 5.4 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 6.2 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 5.9 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 4.5 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 4,343,347 (AAI FY 2025–26 via Mar2k26 Annex III; +7.8% YoY); cargo 6,843.6 t (+13.4%); movements 27,822 (+4.3%) - Terminals: 1 integrated AAI passenger terminal (~24,000 m² / ~3.9 MPPA design in AAI–AERA filings) for domestic + international; new ~75,000 m² terminal (~6 MPPA) still under construction after Oct 2024 foundation stone (not live boarding) - Typical security: 20 min - On-time: 76% - Disruption: normal ## Best for - Pilgrimage and leisure trips into Varanasi / Sarnath that want the local AAI airport instead of a Lucknow connection - Domestic DigiYatra users who can clear the compact integrated hall - Priority Pass holders who can use Take Off Bar and Lounge as a daytime buffet stop (05:00–21:00) - Connections that stay mostly domestic rather than depending on thin international banks ## Watch out for - Confusing VNS with LKO / AYJ / GOP / DBR - Assuming the new ~75,000 m² terminal is already open for boarding - Aggregator lounge directories inventing Plaza Premium soft pins — live PP = Take Off restaurant only - Inventing a Varanasi Metro stop inside the terminal - Red-eyes / late departures outside Take Off’s published 05:00–21:00 window - Winter fog and festival / Dev Deepavali road barricades on the single 09/27 strip and city approach ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/vns/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/vns/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/vns/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/vns/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/vns/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/vns/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/vns/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/vns/reviews.md)