Indore Airport (IDR) Guide

Before security

• Entry: boarding pass/ticket plus photo ID checked at terminal entry gates.
• Free Wi-Fi — select “Free Wi-Fi @AAI by Vodafone,” enter your mobile number, and verify with the OTP sent by SMS.
• Aerobridges are available at select gates following the terminal’s recent upgrades.

Good to know

• The terminal is compact enough that walking to most gates takes just a few minutes.
• With renovation work ongoing, allow a little extra time in case of temporary signage changes or gate reshuffles.

In the arrivals hall

• Prepaid taxi counters are available for a fixed-fare ride into the city.
• Shopping booths and a food court operate near arrivals for a quick bite or last-minute purchase.

Meeting someone?

• Greeters wait outside the terminal exits — entry to the building requires a ticket.
• The airport is fully accessible, with ramps, elevators, designated parking, and accessible restrooms for reduced-mobility passengers and those meeting them.

Indian citizens

• Immigration applies to international trips only — passport, boarding pass, and destination visa where needed.
• Given IDR’s smaller international terminal (just one route), don’t expect the fast-track e-gate infrastructure found at India’s larger airports — processing is more traditional here.
• Returning residents get a duty-free allowance (general goods up to a rupee limit, plus limited alcohol and tobacco) — check current CBIC limits before shopping abroad.

OCI holders & PRs abroad

• OCI card holders use visa-free entry with a valid foreign passport + OCI card.
• Indian-origin travellers with foreign PR (e.g. US green card) but no OCI need a visa/e-visa like other foreign nationals.

Foreign nationals

• e-Visa holders: follow the e-Visa lane at immigration — carry the printed ETA approval.
• Regular visas use the standard foreigner queue; complete the arrival card from the plane or the hall.
• Customs: green channel if nothing to declare; currency above prescribed limits (foreign cash beyond ~US$5,000, or higher total instruments) must be declared.

Lounges

• Lounge facilities are available at IDR for pre-flight relaxation — access typically via card benefits, Priority Pass, airline premium cabins, or walk-in payment.
• Card note: bank lounge programmes changed across India in late 2025 — confirm your card’s current access before relying on it.

ATMs & forex

• Two ATMs are available at the terminal (SBI and Union Bank of India).
• Currency exchange services support the Dubai route’s international passengers — airport rates carry a premium, so change only what you need.
• India runs heavily on UPI; a working international card plus a small cash reserve covers most travellers.

Shopping

Shopping booths within the terminal cover essentials and souvenirs — look for Maheshwari sarees (a distinctive local handloom textile) if you want an authentic take-home from the region, rather than generic gift-shop items.

Food

The terminal’s food court is compact but functional. Given Indore’s reputation as India’s street food capital, this is genuinely one airport where the pre-flight snack matters less than what you eat in the city before you get here — save your appetite for Sarafa Bazaar if you have any layover time at all.

Restrooms & essentials

Restrooms are available with accessible facilities (ramps, elevators, designated accessible restrooms) throughout the compact terminal.

The good news

Because it’s one compact, integrated building, there’s no shuttle or long walk between domestic and international sides.

Connecting flights

International→domestic (i.e. connecting from the Dubai flight): you still clear immigration, collect bags, and check in again — keep at least 2–2.5 hours, on the shorter side given IDR’s smaller scale and quicker processing.

Taxi & ride-hailing

• Prepaid taxi counters in the arrivals hall — the straightforward option.
• Uber/Ola both operate at the airport.
• City centre (Rajwada, Sarafa Bazaar, Palasia) by cab: roughly 20–30 minutes, ₹200–400.

Bus & car rental

• City bus services and private car rentals are both available at the airport.
• Auto-rickshaws serve shorter, budget-friendly trips.

Metro (under construction)

The Indore Metro is under construction across the city, with phased progress — it does not yet reliably serve the airport corridor. Don’t plan around it until officially confirmed operational.

Under 30 min away

• Rajwada Palace — the historic Holkar dynasty’s palace at the heart of old Indore, ~20–25 min.
• Lal Bagh Palace — an opulent European-style Holkar-era palace.
• Kanch Mandir — a striking Jain temple built almost entirely from glass and mirror mosaics.

Worth it with 6+ hours

• Ujjain — home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of Hinduism’s 12 most sacred Shiva shrines, ~1 hour away.
• Mandu (Mandavgarh) — atmospheric ruined palace city on a plateau, ~2–2.5 hours; a full-day trip.
• Maheshwar — Ahilyabai Holkar’s own riverside fort and ghats on the Narmada, plus the source of Maheshwari handloom weaving.

Closest to the airport

• Kanch Mandir (Glass Temple) — an ornate Jain temple in Indore itself, decorated almost entirely in glass and mirror work.
• Annapurna Temple — a well-known Indore temple dedicated to the goddess of nourishment.

Worth the trip: two Jyotirlingas

• Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, Ujjain — one of the 12 Jyotirlingas (the most sacred Shiva shrines in Hinduism), and one of the most significant pilgrimage sites in the country, ~1 hour away.
• Omkareshwar — another of the 12 Jyotirlingas, uniquely located on an island shaped like the “Om” symbol in the Narmada River.
• Maheshwar’s ghats — sacred riverside steps built under Ahilyabai Holkar’s patronage, still active pilgrimage and ritual sites today.

Lost something at the airport?

• IDR is operated by the Airports Authority of India — report lost items at the terminal’s lost & found desk, or use the “Lost & Found Item” section on aai.aero/en/airports/indore.
• General terminal enquiries: +91-731-2626326 (verify current before relying on it, as with any published number).
• Left something on the plane? That goes to your airline, not the airport — contact the airline directly.

Airline customer service

Use only the contact details on airlines’ official websites — fake “customer care numbers” planted in search results are a common scam in India:

• Air India — airindia.com → Contact Us (ticketing desk near the departure gate at IDR)
• IndiGo — goindigo.in → Contact Us (24/7 chat in-app)
• SpiceJet — spicejet.com → Contact Us
• Akasa Air — akasaair.com → Support
• Air India Express (Dubai route): airindiaexpress.com → Contact Us

At the airport

Basic medical assistance is available on-site — ask any airport staff member for the nearest facility. India’s all-in-one emergency number is 112 (ambulance also via 102/108).

Major hospitals within ~20–30 min

• CHL Hospitals, Indore — well-regarded private multi-speciality hospital.
• Bombay Hospital, Indore — established private hospital network.
• Choithram Hospital & Research Centre — respected private hospital in the city.

In Indore

A small number of honorary consulates may exist for countries with specific business or trade ties to Madhya Pradesh — check current listings before you travel, as Indore has fewer consular resources than India’s larger metros.

If Indore can’t help

• Fuller consular services for most nationalities are in Mumbai.
• For a lost passport you’ll typically also need a police report (Madhya Pradesh Police supports online lost-property complaints).
• In a genuine emergency, your country’s Delhi embassy can coordinate remotely even without a local consul.

Physical stores

• Pharmacies and convenience stores are available along the airport road.
• For a fuller supermarket, expect a 15–20 minute drive toward Vijay Nagar or central Indore.

The shortcut: delivery apps

Staying near the airport? Quick-commerce apps — Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart — deliver groceries, toiletries, chargers, and medicine, with good coverage across Indore’s well-developed urban core (helped along by the city’s famously clean, well-organised infrastructure).

Sarafa Bazaar

Indore’s legendary night food market — jewellery shops by day, an enormous open-air street food scene by night (roughly 8 PM to 2 AM). Garadu, bhutte ka kees, and countless sweets make this one of India’s genuinely must-do food experiences.

Chappan Dukan

“56 Shops” — a legendary daytime food street with dozens of established local vendors, complementary to Sarafa’s nighttime scene. Between the two, Indore covers day and night street food better than almost any other Indian city.

Hotel dining

Sayaji Hotel and other established Indore properties offer reliable sit-down dining and bars for a more conventional evening.