Maharshi Valmiki International Airport
Maharshi Valmiki International Airport
Ayodhya Airport (IATA: AYJ, ICAO: VEAY), officially named Maharshi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham, is an international airport in Ayodhya in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. An airstrip existed at the current location of the airport, which was earlier used by the Indian Air Force. Since 2008, the airstrip was rented for use by private aircraft by the Government of Uttar Pradesh. In 2013, it was transferred to the Airports Authority of India to develop an airport under the UDAN scheme of the Government of India. In 2018, the state government announced an expansion plan for the airport. The construction began in February 2022, and was completed by late 2023. It was inaugurated on 30 December 2023, and commercial flight operations began on 10 January 2024.
Location
26.748°N, 82.164°E · 102 m s. n. m. (335 ft)
General data
History
Background and planning
The Faizabad airstrip, which existed at the location of the airport, was earlier used by the Indian Air Force. In 2008, the Government of Uttar Pradesh allowed the unused airstrip for usage by private aircraft for a fee. In 2012, the Minister of Civil Aviation announced plans to develop the existing airstrip at Faizabad to improve regional connectivity and tourism. In 2013, the state government approved the transfer of the airstrip to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to develop the airport as a part of the UDAN scheme of the Government of India.
Expansion
In 2018, the state government announced plans for the expansion of the airport and allocated ₹2 billion for acquiring land acquisition for the same. On 12 August 2020, the state government said that ₹5.25 billion (US$55 million) has been approved and ₹3 (3.1¢ US) has been spent for land acquisition for the airport. On 16 September 2020, the AAI projected that 478.1 acres (193.5 ha) of land would be required for the first phase of the airport. On 10 March 2021, the central government allocated ₹2.42 billion (US$25 million) for the development of the airport, and the state government had completed 270 acres (110 ha) of land acquisition for the same. On 8 April 2022, the state government signed a lease agreement with the AAI for the transfer of 317.85 acres (128.63 ha).
Construction and opening
The construction began in February 2022. In April 2022, the state government announced that the airport would become operational before the completion of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. In 2021, the state government had proposed to name the airport after Hindu deity Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana, who was born in Ayodhya. However, in December 2023, the airport was named after Maharishi Valmiki, the author of Ramayana. By December 2022, about 45% of the works had been completed, and the airport was planned to be completed by December 2023. The construction of the airport was completed by late 2023 and the airport as inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 December 2023. Commercial flight operations began from 10 January 2024, with IndiGo flying the inaugural flight out of the airport.
Airlines operating here · 5
Other airlines with direct routes
Airlines with current passenger routes from here, according to Wikipedia route tables cross-checked from both ends (October 2026).
Photo: Airports Authority of India · GODL-India · view original
Data from OurAirports (public domain) · destinations and airlines from Wikipedia route tables (CC BY-SA, 2026), unless another source is given · profile and photo from Wikidata/Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC) · summary and history from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
Cite
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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Maharshi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ). Retrieved October 23, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ
MLA
“Maharshi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ).” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Maharshi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ).” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Maharshi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ). Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ (Accessed: 23 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_airport_ayj,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Maharshi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ)}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-15},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ}},
urldate = {2026-10-23},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-23}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/airport/AYJ |title=Maharshi Valmiki International Airport (AYJ) |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-23 |language=en}}