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Imphal International Airport (IMF)
Departures from Imphal International Airport (IMF) at a glance
- 9flights a day48th busiest of 98 airports
- 4routes from here
- 2airlines
- 09:20 – 15:30first and last
Collected between 27 September 2026 and 25 October 2026. Not live — check with the airline before booking.
Imphal International Airport (IMF), also called Tulihal Airport, serves Imphal in Manipur, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) runs it. The airport is at Tulihal, about 7 km south-west of Imphal city centre.
Manipur has an entry permit for visitors. An Indian citizen from outside the state needs a Manipur Inner Line Permit, and a foreign national needs a Restricted or Protected Area Permit, so sort out the permit before you fly here.
The Manipur Inner Line Permit and other entry permits
Indian citizens from outside Manipur
The Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a travel document issued by the Government of Manipur for the entry and stay of Indian citizens in the state for a set period. An Indian citizen from outside Manipur needs a valid ILP to enter the state, and the state's own guidance is to get it before travel.
Tourists, business visitors and other short-term travellers take the Temporary permit, valid for 30 days, which cannot be renewed and needs no sponsor. Longer stays and work use other categories, such as the Regular permit (three months, with a local sponsor). You can apply, pay and download the permit on the state's Manipur ILP portal.
The state's application guide names an ILP counter at Imphal Airport. It also describes an on-site kiosk, a new initiative that "will be launched shortly", which issues the Temporary permit, and the portal's home page describes a self-service kiosk at Imphal International Airport that takes digital payment and sends the permit to your mobile phone. Apply on the portal before you travel rather than relying on either on the day, and carry the identity document you used in the application, because an enforcement officer can ask to see it.
Foreign nationals
The Bureau of Immigration lists the whole of Manipur among the areas where a foreign national needs a Restricted or Protected Area Permit. From outside India, you apply through the Indian mission at least 30 days in advance; once in India, you apply to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) for your area at least 15 days in advance.
The permit does not give access to places that need their own special permission, a national park for example. A foreign national found in a listed area without the permit faces action under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025.
Getting to and from Imphal International Airport
Taxis and hire cars are available from the airport. For hotels and banks, go into Imphal city, about 7 km away.
Facilities at Imphal International Airport
Money, post and Wi-Fi
There are ATMs of the State Bank of India and the Bank of Baroda, and Wi-Fi is available. There is an India Post counter in the departure lounge. The aerodrome's entry in AAI's aeronautical information publication also lists a post office and a tourist office at or near the aerodrome, both closed on Sundays and holidays.
Help, health and families
A "May I Help You" counter assists passengers with reduced mobility and others who need help, but wheelchair assistance is provided by the airlines, so ask your airline when you book. A doctor and a staff nurse from the Manipur Health Department are at the terminal building during operating hours, there is first aid, and hospitals are in the city.
There is a child care room, reverse-osmosis drinking water, mobile charging points, a smoking zone and baggage trolleys.
Identity and security at Imphal International Airport
Identity documents
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) publishes the list of photo identity documents accepted at entry to the terminal, carried in original with a valid ticket. A passport, Aadhaar or m-Aadhaar, a voter photo identity card and a driving licence are among them.
On the CISF list, an infant or minor travelling with a parent or guardian who holds valid identity proof needs no separate document, but an unaccompanied minor does. Airlines may ask for more, and a foreign national should ask the airline which document it accepts for a domestic flight.
Liquids, banned items and power banks
Under the CISF's restricted-articles list, liquids, aerosols and gels in cabin baggage go in containers of up to 100 ml each, packed in one clear, resealable one-litre plastic bag. Medicine or an inhaler accompanied by a prescription, and baby food, are exceptions. The same list keeps lighters, tools, sporting goods such as bats, and knives other than round-bladed, butter and plastic ones out of cabin baggage.
A Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) circular dated 11 November 2025 says power banks and spare batteries are to be carried in hand baggage only and not placed in overhead bins, and that using or charging power banks is not allowed during flight. Ask your airline about any limit on their size or number.
Direct domestic flights recorded from Imphal
The airlines recorded on these flights are IndiGo and Air India Express. Direct domestic flights recorded from Imphal go to:
| Destination | Airport | Airlines recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Bagdogra | Bagdogra Airport (IXB) | Air India Express |
| Guwahati | Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) | IndiGo, Air India Express |
| Kolkata | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) | IndiGo |
| New Delhi | Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) | IndiGo, Air India Express |
Places to visit from Imphal
Loktak Lake is 48 km from Imphal. Sendra Island on the lake has a Tourist Home with a cafeteria, and the Takmu Water Sports Complex organises boating and water sports.
Keibul Lamjao National Park, on Loktak Lake, is a habitat of the Sangai, the dancing deer of Manipur. Migratory birds can be seen there from November to March.
Moirang, 45 km from Imphal near Loktak, has the Indian National Army (INA) Museum; Manipur Tourism records that the INA flag was first unfurled there on 14 April 1944. In Imphal itself, Khwairamband Bazar (Ima Market) is an all-women's market, and the Manipur Zoological Garden at Iroisemba, 6 km from Imphal, is a place to see the Sangai. Check opening days and hours before you go.
Delays, cancellations and your rights
The DGCA sets out what airlines provide when a flight is delayed or cancelled, or a passenger is denied boarding, in its Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) Section 3, Series M, Part IV, Revision 4, dated 25 January 2023 and effective from 15 February 2023. If you checked in on time, the airline provides meals and refreshments once a delay is expected to reach a length set by the flight's block time: two hours or more for a block time of up to 2.5 hours, three hours or more for a block time of more than 2.5 and up to five hours, and four hours or more for a longer block time. That duty, and the duty to provide hotel accommodation on a long delay, does not apply where the delay is caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.
If a domestic flight is expected to be delayed by more than six hours from its published departure time, or from a revised time communicated more than 24 hours before the original departure, the airline offers either an alternate flight within six hours or a full refund.
When a flight is cancelled, the airline offers an alternate flight or a refund, and a passenger who was not told in time is offered either an alternate flight, or compensation under the DGCA's rules on top of a full refund. Compensation is not due to a passenger who gave the airline no email address or phone number at booking, or where the cancellation was caused by extraordinary circumstances.
You can complain to the airline directly, file a grievance on the Air Sewa app or portal, or go to a statutory body or court. Check your airline's current rules, and the DGCA for any later revision of the CAR, before you rely on this.
Questions about Imphal International Airport
How far is Imphal International Airport from Imphal city centre?
It is about 7 km south-west of the city centre, at Tulihal.
Can I get a Manipur Inner Line Permit at Imphal International Airport?
The Government of Manipur's ILP portal describes a self-service kiosk at Imphal International Airport that takes digital payment and sends the permit to your mobile phone, and its application guide names an ILP counter at the airport and says the kiosk issues the Temporary permit. The state's guidance is still to hold a valid ILP before travel, so apply on the portal before you fly.
Do foreign nationals need a permit to visit Imphal?
Yes. The Bureau of Immigration lists the whole of Manipur as needing a Restricted or Protected Area Permit for foreign nationals, applied for through an Indian mission at least 30 days ahead from abroad, or through the FRRO for your area at least 15 days ahead once in India.