Latur is the administrative and commercial headquarters of the Marathwada region’s eastern edge — a city defined by its agricultural trade in soybean and tur dal, by the catastrophic September 1993 earthquake that killed nearly 10,000 people and reshaped the district’s entire development narrative, and by a persistent demand for better connectivity to compensate for the region’s historical infrastructure gap. Latur Airport, built in 1991, upgraded between 2006 and 2008, and leased to Reliance Airport Developers Private Limited (RADPL), holds IATA code LTU and ICAO code VOLT. It carries a DGCA aerodrome licence for public use, a 2,300-metre runway, a terminal, and an apron. What it does not have — as of mid-2026 — is any scheduled commercial passenger service. The airport currently operates only VIP and corporate charter flights. The Maharashtra government has initiated proceedings to reclaim the airport from RADPL after years of stalled development, and CM Devendra Fadnavis directed revival steps in April 2025. Latur Airport’s story is one of repeated near-miss with commercial aviation, each time interrupted by airline closures, operator disputes, or scheme timing.
Quick Overview: Latur Airport
| Detail | Information |
| Airport Name | Latur Airport |
| Location | Near Chincholiraowadi, Barshi Road, Latur, Maharashtra |
| Airport Type | Public — Non-operational for scheduled commercial flights |
| IATA Code | LTU |
| ICAO Code | VOLT |
| Owner | Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) |
| Operator | Reliance Airport Developers Pvt Ltd (RADPL) — under dispute |
| Built | 1991 (Public Works Department) |
| Transferred to MIDC | April 2000 |
| Leased to RADPL | ~2006 |
| Runway Designation | 05/23 |
| Runway Length | 2,300 m × 30 m (asphalt) |
| Terminal Area | ~865 sq. metres |
| Apron | 100 m × 70 m |
| Total Land Area | ~145 hectares (358 acres) |
| Elevation | 634 m / 2,080 ft AMSL |
| Coordinates | 18°24′42″N, 76°27′51″E |
| Distance from City | ~12 km west (Barshi Road) |
| Scheduled Commercial Flights | None (as of mid-2026) |
| Current Use | VIP and corporate charter only |
| UDAN Status | Listed as unserved aerodrome; no bids awarded as of mid-2026 |
| Government Action | CM Fadnavis directed revival proceedings, April 2025; reclamation from RADPL initiated 2023 |
Latur Airport Location: Western Latur on the Barshi Road Corridor
Latur Airport is located near Chincholiraowadi village, approximately 12 kilometres west of Latur city on the Barshi Road (NH-52 zone). The coordinates are 18°24′42″N, 76°27′51″E, at an elevation of 634 metres above sea level — the flat, basalt-underlain Deccan plateau terrain of eastern Marathwada.
The airport’s 145-hectare footprint sits outside the city’s main urban spread, in a zone of agricultural fields and light commercial activity along the Barshi Road corridor. Latur city itself is approximately 12 km east, accessible in 20 to 30 minutes by road. The airport address is Near Phata No. 12, Barshi Road, Latur — 413 512.
Latur’s significance as a commercial centre covers soybean and tur dal commodity trading, a growing pharmaceutical manufacturing cluster, and its role as a gateway to the Udgir sub-region. The 1993 Killari earthquake reshaped infrastructure investment priorities in the district — and the airport, built two years before the earthquake, became a logistical node for relief and reconstruction traffic before settling into its long dormancy as a commercial facility.
Latur Airport Code: IATA LTU and ICAO VOLT
The IATA code is LTU and the ICAO code is VOLT. LTU is a formally assigned code that appears in global aviation databases and booking platform search tools, though no scheduled commercial flight can currently be booked from it. VOLT places the airport in the VO southern India block. The airport holds a DGCA aerodrome licence in the public use category — meaning it is legally authorised to host scheduled commercial operations — but no airline has activated routes here under any current UDAN round.
Latur Airport Terminal: Upgraded but Underused
The terminal building covers approximately 865 square metres — small but functional for the regional scale it was designed to serve. It can handle up to 60 peak-hour passengers under its current configuration. The 2006–2008 upgrade, carried out by Reliance Airport Developers at a cost of approximately ₹14 crore, included the runway extension to 2,300 metres, a new terminal building, car parking, and advanced airfield lighting. PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) lights are installed at both ends of the runway, enabling standard visual approach operations.
The runway at 2,300 metres is comfortably capable of ATR-72 turboprop operations — the aircraft type that almost all UDAN-scheme airlines use on thin regional routes. Infrastructure constraints are not the reason Latur lacks commercial flights. The reason is a combination of operator disputes, airline collapse, and UDAN scheme inertia.
Kingfisher Airlines opened the only commercial scheduled service Latur has ever seen — a Mumbai–Nanded–Latur route launched in October 2008. The service was brief, turned seasonal due to low demand, and eventually stopped when Kingfisher ran into financial difficulties ahead of its 2012 collapse. No airline has since established scheduled commercial service at LTU.
In 2023, the Maharashtra government initiated legal proceedings to reclaim Latur Airport along with four other RADPL-operated facilities — Nanded, Baramati, Osmanabad, and Yavatmal — citing stalled development, inadequate maintenance, and unpaid dues. In April 2025, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed state officials to expedite the reclamation process and explore pathways to commercial revival, including fresh UDAN scheme bidding. As of mid-2026, no airline had been awarded a route and no reclamation process had concluded formally.
Latur Airport Connectivity: No Scheduled Flights; Road and Rail Serve the City
By Air: No scheduled commercial passenger flights operate from Latur Airport. VIP aircraft and corporate charters use the airfield as and when required. For commercial air travel, Latur residents travel to Hyderabad (approximately 230 km east, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport), Aurangabad/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (approximately 200 km northwest, IATA: IXU), or Nanded (approximately 100 km northwest, IATA: NDC) for the nearest operational commercial services.
By Road: Latur is on NH-361 and NH-150A, with road connectivity to Hyderabad (approximately 5 to 6 hours), Pune (approximately 5 hours via Solapur), and Aurangabad (approximately 4 hours). MSRTC state buses connect Latur to major Maharashtra cities. The airport is approximately 12 km from the city bus stand — around 20 to 30 minutes by taxi.
By Rail: Latur Railway Station (on the Osmanabad–Latur branch line) and Latur Road Railway Station (on the Wadi–Vikarabad trunk line, approximately 14 km from the city) are the two rail access points. Latur Road is the more useful station for long-distance trains, with connections to Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Secunderabad. The Latur–Mumbai Latur Express provides an overnight service.
Latur Airport Amenities: Basic Infrastructure, No Active Passenger Services
The terminal at Latur Airport is physically intact with check-in infrastructure, a passenger waiting area, and basic airside facilities. Airfield lighting and PAPI systems are in place for safe aircraft operations. However, since no scheduled commercial airline operates here, none of the passenger-facing amenities — food counters, check-in desks, security lanes in regular operation — are actively serving the public.
Corporate and VIP charter passengers using the airport access the facility directly, without the normal commercial airport passenger processing infrastructure being fully activated. Ground transport from the airport to Latur city is by private taxi; no formal cab system or bus route serves the airport route given the absence of regular commercial flights.
FAQs: Latur Airport
Q1. What is the IATA code for Latur Airport?
The IATA code is LTU and the ICAO code is VOLT. The airport is located near Chincholiraowadi, approximately 12 km west of Latur city on Barshi Road, owned by MIDC and operated by Reliance Airport Developers.
Q2. Are there any scheduled flights from Latur Airport?
No. Latur Airport has no scheduled commercial passenger flights as of mid-2026. The airport currently handles only VIP and corporate charter movements. The only scheduled airline service in its history was Kingfisher Airlines’ Mumbai–Nanded–Latur route, launched in October 2008 and subsequently discontinued.
Q3. Why is Latur Airport not operational for commercial flights?
The airport is operated by RADPL under a lease from MIDC that the Maharashtra government initiated proceedings to terminate in 2023, citing stalled development, poor maintenance, and unpaid dues. No airline has been awarded UDAN scheme routes for Latur, and the unresolved ownership dispute has been a barrier to revival.
Q4. What is the nearest commercial airport to Latur?
Nanded Airport (NDC) at approximately 100 km northwest is the nearest airport with scheduled commercial service. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad (HYD) at approximately 230 km east is the nearest major hub.
Q5. Is there any plan to restart flights from Latur Airport?
CM Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to expedite reclamation from RADPL and explore UDAN revival in April 2025. The airport is listed as an unserved aerodrome under UDAN, meaning it is eligible for bidding. No airline had been awarded a route as of mid-2026. Once ownership is resolved, UDAN route activation would be the most likely first step.
