A shocking information has come to light regarding air travel in Uttar Pradesh. According to the data received from RTI recently in February 2026, regular flights have stopped at 6 out of 7 new airports started in the state after the year 2021. However, while on one hand the airports of small cities are deserted, on the other hand a record increase in the number of passengers has been recorded at the airports of old and big cities like Kanpur and Agra.
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At which airports were flights stopped?
Information received under the Right to Information Act shows that due to lack of passengers and technical problems, many new airports have been locked. In the list given below you can see where and when the service is closed:
When was the airport closed? Main reasons: Kushinagar November 2023 Less passengers and ILS problem Azamgarh November 2024 Huge shortage of passengers Aligarh April 2025 No commercial demand Chitrakoot December 2024 Poor visibility Shravasti December 2024 Passengers not found even after 6 months Moradabad November 2024 Operator stopped the service
Ayodhya Airport is a big exception to this. Due to religious tourism, more than 11 lakh passengers have traveled here in the year 2024-25 and it is running successfully.
Craze for air travel increased in big cities
Even though flights have stopped in small cities, the number of air travelers has increased rapidly in established cities. After the construction of the new terminal at Kanpur Airport, the number of passengers has increased by 165%. There has also been a huge jump of 247% in the number of passengers at Agra Airport. Apart from this, the demand for flights in Varanasi, Prayagraj and Gorakhpur is also continuously increasing.
What is the real reason for the closure of flights?
Most of the closed airports were started under the ‘UDAN’ scheme. The VGF funding provided by the government ends after three years. Airlines were incurring losses due to funding cuts and lack of passengers, due to which they stopped services. However, the news of relief is that new companies like ‘Shankh Air’ and ‘Al Hind Air’ have got approval, which can start flights again on these routes.
