India’s airport network now includes a large set of public-use and private-use aerodromes, and the DGCA lists show how these two categories support different kinds of aviation activity. Public-use airports handle regular passenger and cargo flights, while private-use aerodromes are meant for restricted or special-purpose operations.
This article is based on the latest DGCA-linked public-use and private-use airport lists shared in the links. It matters for India because these lists show where commercial flying is allowed, where private aviation is permitted, and how the country’s airport network is growing.
Why airport category matters
In India, an aerodrome must be licensed before it can be used for scheduled air transport services. The licence category decides whether an airport can be used by the general public, airlines, cargo operators, or only for limited private operations.
Public-use aerodromes are the airports most travellers know. These include major commercial airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, and many more regional airports across the country.
Private-use aerodromes are different. They are used by private entities, industrial groups, educational institutions, or specialized aviation users, and are not meant for open commercial airline service in the same way as public airports.
Public use airports in India
| Airport Name | ICAO Code | Airport Name | ICAO Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juhu Airport, Mumbai | VAJJ | Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad | VAAH |
| Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru | VOBL | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai | VABB |
| Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery | VOCI | Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi | VIDP |
| Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati | VEGT | Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad | VOHS |
| HAL Ozar Airport, Nasik | VAOZ | Mangaluru International Airport, Mangaluru | VOML |
| Sonari Aerodrome, Jamshedpur | VEJS | Jaipur International Airport, Jaipur | VIJP |
| Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow | VILK | Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur | VANP |
| Bilaspur Airport, Bilaspur | VEBU | Durgapur Airport | VEDG |
| Rourkela Airport, Rourkela | VERK | Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram | VOTV |
| Jindal Vijayanagar | VOJV | Kurnool Airport, Kurnool | VOKU |
| Kannur International Airport, Mattannur | VOKN | Jagdalpur Airport, Jagdalpur | VEJR |
| Naini-Saini Airport, Pithoragarh | VIPG | Shirdi Airport, Shirdi | VASD |
| Utkela Airport, Utkela | VEUK | Navi Mumbai | VANM |
| Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji Airport, Nanded | VOND | Mundra Airport, Mundra | VAMA |
| Manohar International Airport, Mopa | VOGA | Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar | VEHO |
| Jeypore Airport, Odisha | VEJP | Chitrakoot Airport, Chitrakoot | VECT |
| Maa Mahamaya Airport, Ambikapur | VEAP | Amravati Airport | VAAM |
| Datia Airport | VIDT | Agatti Airport, Agatti | VOAT |
| Aizawl (Lengpui), Aerodrome | VELP | Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport, Amritsar | VIAR |
| Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar | VEBS | Vadodara Airport, Vadodara | VABO |
| Raja Bhoj Airport, Bhopal | VABP | Bhavnagar Airport, Bhavnagar | VABV |
| Hyderabad International Airport, Hyderabad | VOHY | Calicut Airport, Calicut | VOCL |
| Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata | VECC | Kadapa Airport, Kadapa | VOCP |
| Coimbatore International Airport, Coimbatore | VOCB | Cooch Behar Airport, Cooch Behar | VECO |
| Jolly Grant Airport, Dehradun | VIDN | Kangra Airport, Kangra | VIGG |
| Dibrugarh Airport, Dibrugarh | VEMN | Dimapur Airport, Dimapur | VEMR |
| Gaya Airport, Gaya | VEGY | Hubballi Airport, Hubballi | VOHB |
| Khajuraho Airport, Khajuraho | VEKO | Indore Airport, Indore | VAID |
| Imphal Airport, Imphal | VEIM | Agartala Airport, Agartala | VEAT |
| Belagavi Airport, Belagavi | VOBM | Lilabari Airport, North Lakhampur | VELR |
| Keshod Airport, Keshod | VAKS | Madurai Airport, Madurai | VOMD |
| Birsa Munda Airport, Ranchi | VERC | Aurangabad Airport, Aurangabad | VAAU |
| Kandla Airport, Kandla | VAKE | Jabalpur Airport, Jabalpur | VAJB |
| Kolhapur Airport, Kolhapur | VAKP | Kullu Manali Airport, Bhuntar | VIBR |
| Ludhiana Airport, Ludhiana | VILD | Chennai International Airport, Chennai | VOMM |
| Mysuru Airport, Mysuru | VOMY | Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport, Patna | VEPT |
| Porbandar Airport, Porbandar | VAPR | Pantnagar Airport, Pantnagar | VIPT |
| Puducherry Airport, Puducherry | VOPC | Civil Aerodrome, Rajkot | VAHS |
| Rajahmundry Airport, Rajahmundry | VORY | Rupsi Airport, Rupsi | VERU |
| Barapani Airport, Barapani | VEBI | Shimla Airport, Shimla | VISM |
| Surat Airport, Surat | VASU | Salem Airport, Salem | VOSM |
| Tuticorin Airport, Tuticorin | VOTK | Tezu Airport, Tezu | VETJ |
| Tirupati Airport, Tirupati | VOTP | Tiruchirappalli Airport, Tiruchirappalli | VOTR |
| Maharana Pratap Airport, Udaipur | VAUD | Vijayawada International Airport, Vijayawada | VOBZ |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, Varanasi | VEBN | Swami Vivekananda Airport, Raipur | VERP |
| Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda | VEJH | Kishangarh Airport, Kishangarh | VIKG |
| Pakyong Airport | VEPY | Jalgaon Airport, Jalgaon | VAJL |
| Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham | VEAY | Moradabad Airport, Moradabad | VIMB |
| Azamgarh Airport, Azamgarh | VEAH | Bhogapuram Airport | VOVI |
| Deoghar Airport, Deoghar | VEDO | Kalaburagi Airport, Kalaburagi | VOGB |
| Birsi Aerodrome, Gondia | VAGD | Sindhudurg Airport, Sindhudurg | VOSR |
| Kushinagar Airport | VEKI | Shivamogga Airport, Shivamogga | VOSH |
| Aligarh Airport, Aligarh | VIAH | Shravasti Airport, Shravasti | VISV |
| Rewa Airport | VA1G | Hisar Airport | VIHR |
The public-use 109 licensed aerodromes as of 22/06/2026, including metro airports, international airports, and newer regional airports. The list includes major hubs such as Indira Gandhi International Airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Kempegowda International Airport, Cochin International Airport, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, and Chennai International Airport.
Private use aerodromes in India
| Airport Name | ICAO Code | Airport Name | ICAO Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosur Airport | — | Banasthali Airport | — |
| Birlagram Airport | — | Kankroli Airport | — |
| Beas Airport | — | Sri Satya Sai Airport | — |
| Savitri Jindal Airport | — | Baldota Koppal Airport | — |
| JSPL Raigarh Aerodrome | — |
These are typically owned or operated by companies, trusts, or institutions, and serve limited or special aviation needs.
Some of these private-use entries have long validity periods, while others are already expired in the shared list, which means status can change over time and needs regular checking. This is important for readers because a private-use aerodrome is not always available for commercial public travel.
