Swami Vivekananda Airport (IATA: RPR, ICAO: VERP),[5][6][7] formerly known as Mana Airport, is a domestic airport serving the state of Chhattisgarh, India. The airport is located at Mana, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) south-east of Raipur and 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Naya Raipur, situated conveniently between the two cities.[8] On 24 January 2012, the airport was renamed after Swami Vivekananda, the iconic Hindu monk and philosopher who spent three years of his youth in Raipur between 1877 and 1879.[9]
In the period between April 2023 and March 2024, it handled around 2.5 million passengers, and has been the busiest airport in Chhattisgarh, and the second busiest in Central India after Indore airport and the 29th busiest airport in India by passenger traffic.[2]
Spread over an area of 700 acres (280 ha), Swami Vivekananda Airport has a single runway (06/24) measuring 2,286 m (7,500 ft) in length and 45 m (148 ft) in width.[1] The runway has been extended to 3,251 m (10,666 ft)[10] but has not been operationalised yet due to delays in transferring land for the construction of perimeter boundary wall alongside patrolling road inside the airport area.
The apron has seven parking bays which can accommodate A320/B737 category of aircraft. The airport is equipped with category VI firefighting and rescue capability with provisions for category VII on demand.[13]
The new integrated terminal was inaugurated on 7 November 2012 by then President of IndiaPranab Mukherjee. Built at a cost of about ₹165 crore (US$20 million), the building covers an area of 22,000 m2 (5.4 acres). It is designed to handle 1300 passengers at a time, including 400 international passengers.[14]
The new terminal has three aero-bridges, eight boarding gates, twenty check-in counters, eight X-ray baggage machines, four security counters, and two conveyor belts for luggage. Construction for fourth aero-bridge is under-consideration.[13][15]
The Common User Domestic Cargo Terminal (CUDCT) was inaugurated on 4 June 2016, fulfilling the long pending demand of the state to start air cargo operations. The AAI has converted the old terminal building into CUDCT to handle cargo operations. Ahmedabad based GSEC Limited has bagged the contract to operate and maintain the CUDCT for an initial period of five years.[16]
In 2023, the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel laid the foundation stone of Aerocity near Raipur Airport in 25 acre of land in Ramchandi area of Naya Raipur, it will have High-end hotels, Convention center, Shopping complexes and upscale restaurants along with entertainment facilities.[21][22][23][24]
