On June 19, 2024, the Union Cabinet approved the expansion plan for the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It entails an investment of around Rs 28.7 billion. Developments include the construction of a new terminal building, apron and runway extension, a parallel taxi track, and allied works.
With this, the annual passenger handling capacity at the airport is targeted to be increased to 9.9 million passengers per annum (mppa), from the current capacity of around 3.9 mppa.
The new terminal building would cover an area of 75,000 sq m. Further, the runway will be extended to a length of 4,075 m and a width of 45 m, and the new apron would be able to park 20 aircraft. The airport would also incorporate energy optimisation, waste recycling, use of solar energy, etc.