Bir Tikendrajit International Airport

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport^[a][4][5] (IATA: IMF, ICAO: VEIM), also known as Imphal Airport,^[b] and formerly known as Tulihal International Airport,^[c] is an international airport serving Imphal, the capital of Manipur, India, located 7 km south from the city centre. It is the second-largest and the third-busiest airport in Northeast India after Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati and Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport in Agartala. The airport had functioned as an all-weather Royal Air Force (RAF) base during World War II. It replaced civilian operations from Koirengei Airfield in 1959.^[6]

Bir Tikendrajit International Airport
IATA: IMF ICAO: VEIM
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Government of Manipur
Operator	Airports Authority of India
Serves	Imphal
Location	Tulihal, Imphal, Manipur, India
Elevation AMSL	774 m / 2,540 ft
Coordinates	24°45′36″N 093°53′48″E
Website	Imphal Airport
Map
IMF Location of airport in Manipur Show map of Manipur IMF IMF (India) Show map of India
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 04/22 2,746 9,009 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025)
Passengers 1,406,227 ( 10.3%) Aircraft movements 12,385 ( 3.7%) Cargo tonnage 6,199 ( 38.5%)
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Development

In June 2019, Airports Authority of India (AAI) implemented ₹3,400 crore (US$400 million) projects for the upgradation of various airports in the northeastern region. ₹720 crore (US$85 million) will be spent for further upgradation of Imphal Airport.^[7] The project includes a ₹600 crore (US$71 million) integrated terminal building and airside infrastructure like new aircraft parking bays (areas at an airport where aircraft can be parked, unloaded, loaded, refuelled, boarded, or maintained) and link taxiways, a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and a control and technical block.^[8]

The new terminal building will have an area of 28,125 sq.m. to handle 1,200 peak hour passengers (200 international & 1,000 domestic), an apron with four aerobridges and eight parking bays for Airbus A321 type aircraft, two link taxiways, and an ATC tower.^[9]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Air India Express[10]	Delhi, Guwahati, Kolkata
Alliance Air	Aizawl,[11] Dimapur, Guwahati,[12] Kolkata, Silchar,[13] Tezu[14]
IndiGo	Agartala, Bangalore, Delhi,[15] Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Shillong[16]
Mingalar Aviation Services	Charter: Mandalay[citation needed]

Statistics

Busiest flights

Busiest flights out of Imphal per weekly, as of 20 May 2025.^[17]

Rank	Destinations	Frequency (weekly)
1	Guwahati	37
2	Kolkata	36
3	Delhi	11
4	Dibrugarh	7
5	Agartala	4
6	Aizawl	4
7	Shillong	3
8	Dimapur	2
9	Silchar	2

Accidents and incidents

• On 16 August 1991, Indian Airlines Flight 257 crashed while on approach to the airport, killing all 69 people on board.^[18]

Gallery

• 
  A trilingual signboard in the airport displaying in Meitei (officially called Manipuri), Hindi and English
• 
  A Child Care Room in the Imphal International Airport with a signboard in Meitei, Hindi and English languages, showing official multilingualism in India

See also

• Kangla Helipad (Manung Kangjeibung)
• Kakching Aerodrome

Notes

1. "Bir Tikendrajit International Airport" is named after Bir Tikendrajit (Meitei name: Athouba Koirengsana), a Meitei prince of the Ningthouja dynasty of Manipur Kingdom
2. "Imphal International Airport" is the most common name but not the official name of the airport. It is called so because it is located in the Imphal city of Manipur.
3. "Tulihal International Airport" is named after "Ebudhou Tulihal", a Meitei guardian deity of the area where the airport is located.