A new passenger terminal has entered commercial service at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) in Guwahati, India.
This milestone raises the airport’s annual handling capacity to 13.1 million travellers, expanding infrastructure at one of India’s busiest aviation gateways in the north-east.
The facility began operations following a phased transition that included system trials covering check-in, baggage handling, security screening and aircraft turnaround procedures. The terminal had been formally inaugurated in December 2025 by Narendra Modi.
The start of services was attended by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Jeet Adani, a director at Adani Airport Holdings Ltd, which operates the airport through its subsidiary Guwahati International Airport Limited.
Proceedings included the presentation of a ceremonial boarding pass to the first departing passenger and the arrival of an Akasa Air flight from Mumbai. Cultural performances and a traditional lamp-lighting ceremony were held in the arrivals forecourt, involving local artisans, tea garden workers and airport staff.
Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said:I express my gratitude and we are thankful to Mr Gautam Adani for keeping his commitment of investing Rs 50,000 crore made during Advantage Assam 2.0, last year. I believe with the operationalisation of this new Terminal, Assam’s tourism will get a boost. It will be a gamechanger for Assam. The culture of Assam has been respected during the construction of this new airport terminal, and as Assamese, we are proud of it.
With passenger throughput having exceeded nine million in recent years, Guwahati has become one of India’s top ten busiest airports by volume. The expanded capacity is intended to accommodate further route development and higher flight frequencies.
The airport currently connects to 21 domestic destinations and three international routes — Bangkok, Paro and Singapore — and handles more than 130 aircraft movements each day. The additional capacity could now support Guwahati’s role as a regional hub linking north-east India with other parts of the country and South-East Asia.
The terminal was designed by Indian architect Nuru Karim and incorporates elements inspired by regional materials and craftsmanship. The structure references Assam’s kopou phool, or foxtail orchid, and uses more than 140 metric tonnes of bamboo, including motifs linked to bholuka bamboo work and the bamboo building traditions of Arunachal Pradesh’s Apatani community.
Architectural features include a vaulted roof intended to improve natural light and spatial flow, and an arrivals forecourt with an amphitheatre layout showcasing regional art and performance. The project received the International Architecture Award 2025 in recognition of its design approach.
