Yes, Varanasi Airport (VNS) has a designated smoking area inside the terminal after security. The airport is small, so look for signage near the boarding gates or ask staff for the current location. Outdoor smoking spots are also available near the terminal entrance and parking lot.
Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) serves one of India’s most important religious and cultural cities, welcoming millions of pilgrims and tourists every year. The compact airport handles domestic flights to major Indian cities and limited international services.
Inside Terminals
A designated smoking area is available inside the terminal after security. Look for signage near the boarding gates or ask at the information desk for the current location.
VNS is a smaller airport, and its smoking facilities are more basic than what you’d find at major hubs like Delhi or Mumbai. Under India’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), any smoking facility an airport provides has to be an enclosed, separately ventilated room, so the airside zone is a room rather than an open corner. Travellers reporting to airportsmokers.com placed it on the first floor in April 2018; the airport publishes no location of its own, and it is undergoing expansion to handle growing passenger numbers, so follow the signage on the day. Your own lighter is taken at security, and the wall-mounted electric lighters standard in Indian airport smoking rooms are the workaround — here’s how the machines work, with video.
Outside Terminals
Outdoor smoking is permitted at designated spots near the terminal entrance. The parking area and forecourt provide open space where smoking is common. If arriving, the area outside the arrivals exit offers an immediate option.
If your international itinerary routes through the Gulf, it helps to plan ahead for the indoor smoking rooms you will find after security at Dubai International Airport (DXB) on a long layover.
For India airport smoking rules, the PECA vape ban, lighter-machine instructions, and other rules, see our India smoking guide.