Ahmedabad Airport (AMD) Guide

Before security

• Entry: boarding pass/ticket plus photo ID checked at terminal entry gates.
• DigiYatra kiosks are available at T2, alongside self-baggage-drop kiosks — part of T2’s 2026 upgrade for the Air India consolidation.
• Fast Track Immigration e-gates are available at T2 (8 gates across departures and arrivals) for registered Indian citizens.

Good to know

• T2 now runs 52 check-in counters and 17 departure immigration counters post-upgrade — built specifically to absorb Air India’s full schedule.
• If you’ve flown Air India domestic from AMD before March 2026, don’t assume T1 out of habit — this is now the airport’s most common wrong-terminal mistake.

In the arrivals hall

• SIM cards: telecom counters in T2 international arrivals — bring your passport and a photo.
• Prepaid taxi counters are available at both T1 and T2 arrivals.
• Pranaam service (bookable via Adani One) offers paid meet-and-assist for arriving passengers.

Meeting someone?

• Greeters wait outside the terminal exits — entry to the building requires a ticket.
• Double-check which terminal you’re meeting someone at — given the March 2026 Air India shift, it may not be the terminal you remember from a previous visit.

Indian citizens

• Immigration applies to international trips only — passport, boarding pass, and destination visa where needed.
• Fast Track Immigration (FTI-TTP) e-gates at T2 (8 total) let registered Indian citizens clear immigration quickly — enrol online in advance.
• 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. Note that Gujarat itself has alcohol prohibition (more in the dining section below), so bringing alcohol in has extra local relevance here.

OCI holders & PRs abroad

• OCI card holders use visa-free entry with a valid foreign passport + OCI card; FTI-TTP fast-track is open to OCI holders too.
• 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 dedicated e-Visa lanes at T2 immigration — carry the printed ETA approval.
• Regular visas use the standard foreigner queues; 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.
• Liquor permit: foreign nationals wanting to legally possess alcohol during their stay in Gujarat (a dry state) can apply for a temporary permit — worth knowing before you arrive.

Lounges

• T1 lounge — for domestic passengers, accessible via card benefits, Priority Pass, or walk-in.
• T2 lounge — for international passengers, with the usual mix of food, drinks and quiet seating before a flight.
• Card note: bank lounge programmes changed across India in late 2025 — confirm your card’s current access before relying on it.

ATMs & forex

• ATMs are available in both terminals.
• Currency exchange counters serve T2’s international departures and arrivals — 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

T2 has duty-free shopping near both departures and arrivals. Gujarat’s textile heritage makes Bandhani (tie-dye) fabrics and Patola sarees worth seeking out as authentic souvenirs if available airside.

Food

Expect strongly vegetarian-leaning options reflecting Gujarat’s food culture — look for dhokla, khaman, and fafda among the snack counters alongside standard cafés and fast food, both before and after security.

Restrooms & essentials

Restrooms are frequent and well-signed with accessible facilities in both terminals. T2’s 2026 upgrade added modern retail and dining space alongside the immigration and check-in expansion.

The basics

A free shuttle bus connects T1 and T2 at regular intervals — both terminals are on the same campus, so this isn’t a long cross-city trip, but it’s not a short walk either. Allow real time rather than assuming it’s instant.

Connecting flights

International→domestic: you still clear immigration, collect bags, and check in again — keep at least 2.5–3 hours. If you’re connecting between two Air India flights (one domestic, one international), both now depart from T2, which simplifies things considerably post-March 2026.

Bus

• AMTS (Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service) connects the airport to the city — the nearest stop (Sardar Nagar Approach) is about a 10-minute walk from the terminals, served by routes 16, 101, 105, 106, 107 and 126.
• A Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) corridor also serves the airport, offering faster, dedicated-lane travel into the city.

Taxi & ride-hailing

• Prepaid taxi counters at both T1 and T2 arrivals — negotiate or confirm the fare upfront if not using a fixed-rate counter.
• City centre by taxi: roughly 15–25 minutes.
• Uber/Ola and private car rentals also operate from the airport.

Rail

• Ahmedabad Junction, the main railway station, is about 11 km away — 30–45 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Under 30 min away

• Sabarmati Ashram — Mahatma Gandhi’s home for over a decade and the starting point of the 1930 Salt March; one of India’s most significant historical sites, ~20–25 min.
• Kankaria Lake — a popular lakefront park with a zoo, toy train and evening activities, ~20 min.

Worth it with 6+ hours

• Old Ahmedabad (the Walled City) — India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City, with pols (traditional neighbourhoods), Jama Masjid, and Manek Chowk’s legendary night food market.
• Adalaj Stepwell — a stunning 15th-century stepwell, ~30–40 min.
• Akshardham Temple, Gandhinagar — a monumental temple complex, ~30 min (note: cameras/phones not allowed inside).

Closest to the airport

• Akshardham Temple, Gandhinagar — one of the grandest Hindu temple complexes in India, ~30 min from the airport, on the Gandhinagar side.

Ahmedabad’s icons

• Jama Masjid — a magnificent 15th-century mosque at the heart of the old walled city, among India’s finest examples of Indo-Islamic architecture.
• Sidi Saiyyed Mosque — famed for its intricately carved stone “tree of life” window, an Ahmedabad icon.
• Swaminarayan Temple, Kalupur — a historic and important Swaminarayan temple in the old city.
• Hutheesing Jain Temple — an exquisitely carved marble Jain temple.

Lost something at the airport?

• Report to the terminal’s lost & found desk before leaving if possible, or check the official SVPI Airport website (svpia-ahmedabad.adaniairports.com) for the current process.
• Left something on the plane? That goes to your airline, not the airport — contact the airline directly.
• The Pranaam service can also assist with general airport queries.

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
• IndiGo — goindigo.in → Contact Us (24/7 chat in-app)
• SpiceJet — spicejet.com → Contact Us
• Akasa Air — akasaair.com → Support
• International carriers: use the airline’s own site, or their T2 ticketing counters.

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 ~30 min

• Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad — flagship of India’s biggest private chain, ~25–30 min.
• Sterling Hospital, Gurukul Road — well-regarded multi-speciality hospital.
• Civil Hospital, Asarwa — one of India’s largest government hospitals, for broader emergency capacity.

In Ahmedabad

Look for honorary consulates for countries with strong trade or diaspora ties to Gujarat — check current listings before you travel, as honorary consul postings change more often than full consulates.

If Ahmedabad can’t help

• Fuller consular services for most nationalities are in Mumbai.
• For a lost passport you’ll typically also need a police report (Gujarat 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

• Hansol and the airport road — pharmacies and convenience stores minutes from the terminals.
• For a fuller supermarket, expect a 15–20 minute drive toward central Ahmedabad or SG Highway.

The shortcut: delivery apps

Staying near the airport? Quick-commerce apps — Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart — deliver groceries, toiletries, chargers, and medicine, with solid coverage across Ahmedabad’s built-up areas.

Hotel dining

Novotel Ahmedabad Airport and other airport-area hotels are the closest reliable option for a proper meal, and — with the right permit — one of the few realistic places for a drink near the airport.

Don’t skip: Gujarati thali

A full Gujarati thali — unlimited vegetarian dishes, typically including a hint of sweetness in the savoury courses — is a genuine culinary experience, and Ahmedabad does it exceptionally well.

Worth the trip: Manek Chowk

If your layover allows a trip into the old city, Manek Chowk’s night food market (fafda-jalebi in the morning, street food at night) is one of India’s great food-market experiences — genuinely worth the detour.