Bihar is located towards the eastern part of India. It shares boundaries with Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand, while Nepal is at the north of Bihar. Being landlocked from all sides, Bihar has to rely on air travel aside from roads and railways. There are several airports in Bihar which aid both domestic as well as international tourists.

If you are a resident of Bihar or are planning to visit the state, learning about the airports can help you to plan your trip. Keep reading the article to learn more.

Many of Bihar’s airports are used for commercial operations and to ply cargo as well. In Bihar, there are a few non-commercial airports which are reserved by the Defence Forces. Check out the list of airports below.

Please note: The details about services and other aspects are dynamic. Kindly verify all the information for a safe and hassle-free trip.

1. Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport, Patna

Located 5 kilometres southwest of the main city, Patna Airport is the busiest of all the airports in Bihar. This airport was opened in 1973. Although it is an international airport, the runway is not capable of accommodating heavy aircraft such as Boeing and Airbus planes.

• Address: Shaheed Pir Ali Khan Marg, Bhatpura village, Sheikhpura, Patna, Bihar 800014, India
• ICAO Code: VEPT
• IATA Code: PAT
• Category: International Airport
• Terminals: There are 3 terminals in this airport:
  • Terminal 1 (for domestic flights)
  • Terminal 2 (for international flights)
  • Terminal 3 (for cargo and charter flights)
• Operator: Airports Authority of India
• Services & Amenities
  • Medical facility
  • Drop off and pick up facility
  • Child care lounge

2. Gaya Airport, Gaya

The 2nd busiest airport in Bihar, Gaya Airport lies within a distance of 5 kilometres from the main city. It  was built in 2002 and it has connecting flights to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. The terminal can handle 250 incoming and outgoing passengers at the same time. This airport hosts aircraft of IndiGo as well as several Thai airlines in Bihar.

• Address: International airport, Bodh Gaya, Bihar 823004, India
• ICAO Code: VEGY
• IATA Code: GAY
• Category: International Airport
• Terminals: This airport has only one terminal
• Operator: Airports Authority of India
• Services & Amenities:
  • Snacks and beverages stall
  • Medical facility
  • Wheelchair facility

3. Darbhanga Airport, Darbhanga

Darbhanga Airport is strategically built near National Highway, about 8 kilometres away from the main city, to cater to a large number of the population. This airport of Bihar hosted its maiden commercial flight in 2020. Under the scheme, the runway was strengthened to handle heavy aircraft like Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.

• Address: Aerodrome Darbhanga, Ranipur, Darbhanga, Bihar 847242, India
• ICAO Code: VE89
• IATA Code: DBR
• Terminals: There is only one terminal in this airport
• Category: Domestic Airport
• Operator: Airports Authority of India
• Services & Amenities:
  • Taxi booking counter
  • Medical assistance facility
  • Wheelchairs

4. Bihta Air Force Station, Bihta

Lying 40 kilometres southwest of the city of Patna, Bihta houses a defence base for the Air Force. This station is used by the Air Force to house many of its aircraft. Owing to a huge number of flights in Patna airport and its short runway length, the Airports Authority of India is planning to relocate the international airport to Bihta. With approval from the Indian Air Force, Bihta will host the next of its civil aviation airports in Bihar.

• Address: HVWH+3W, Dekuli, Bihar 801111, India
• ICAO Code: To be decided
• IATA Code: To be decided
• Category: Defence base
• Terminals: A passenger terminal is under construction in this location.
• Operator: Indian Air Force
• Services & Amenities:
  • Military engineer services
  • VIP lounge (proposed)
  • Hangar (proposed)

5. Air Force Station Purnea, Purnea

The Air Force Station of Purnea was originally constructed as a defence base for the Indian Air Force. Presently this base is operated by the Indian Air Force for emergency relief missions. Located in the Chunapur region of Purnia, the Air Force Station was selected as a part of the Government of India's UDAN scheme. The Airports Authority of India is renovating the runway to accommodate civil aviation operations in Purnea.

• Address: QC78+G8P, Unnamed Road, Guasi, Bihar 854303, India
• ICAO Code: VEPU
• IATA Code: PUI
• Category: Defence base; Civil aviation proposed
• Terminals: There is a single terminal building at this airport
• Operator: Indian Air Force
• Services & Amenities:
  • Passenger terminal (proposed)
  • VVIP terminal (proposed)
  • Cargo terminal (proposed)

6. Sabeya Airport, Gopalganj

This military airport was established by the colonial administration in 1868 and served as a strategic location for the British Air Force in World War II. Presently, the airport is under the Government of India's UDAN scheme and it is undergoing repairs and renovations to accommodate civil aviation operations in this airport. It is situated about 3 kilometres away from Hathua.

• Address: 97WV+VGF, Gopalganj, Bihar 841438, India
• ICAO Code: N/A
• IATA Code: N/A
• Category: Defence base
• Terminal: A passenger terminal is being constructed in this area.
• Operator: Defence Ministry of India
• Services & Amenities Available: N/A