Representative image. Photo: Photo by Z thomas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Khajuraho Airport has topped India’s airport rankings even as it runs zero commercial flights amid ongoing runway work.
The 2026 National Service and Customer Satisfaction Index survey, conducted by the Airports Authority of India, placed Khajuraho first based on facilities, cleanliness, security and service quality rather than flight volume.
The airport’s commercial flights have been suspended through July and August for runway and other technical works, with a resumption expected around October.
Before the suspension, only two scheduled flights operated from Khajuraho, connecting it to Delhi and Varanasi.
Airport director Santosh Singh said the ranking “reflected the hard work of the entire airport staff and the trust of passengers,” and noted the survey was conducted when flights were still operating normally.
He added that commercial services would resume once the ongoing runway work was completed.
Bhopal’s Raja Bhoj Airport ranked third nationally in the same survey, while Khajuraho had also led the AAI’s customer satisfaction survey in December 2025.
Local residents have questioned the contrast between the airport’s top ranking and the total absence of flights during July and August.
Khajuraho Airport’s runway spans 2,286 metres by 45 metres, and its terminal building, inaugurated in January 2016, cost around Rs 90 crore to build.
Most passengers using the airport are travelling to the nearby Khajuraho Group of Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its medieval temple carvings.
The temples, built between the 9th and 12th centuries by the Chandela dynasty, are among the most visited heritage sites in central India.
The Airports Authority of India conducts its National Service and Customer Satisfaction Index survey periodically to benchmark airports on the quality of the passenger experience they offer, independent of how much traffic they handle.
Khajuraho is best known internationally for its UNESCO World Heritage-listed group of temples, and the airport primarily serves tourists visiting the site as well as pilgrims and business travellers to the region.
(Image: Photo by Z thomas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
