Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport

Flew in from Delhi last month and was pleasantly surprised by how tidy the main terminal looked — floors were clean and the departure hall didn't feel cramped despite a full flight. The staff at check-in were helpful and even assisted my elderly mother with her baggage without being asked. Food options are a bit limited though; the one Assam Tea stall is lovely but beyond that it's mostly overpriced packaged snacks. WiFi kept dropping every ten minutes which was frustrating when I was trying to send work emails.

The toilets near the departure gates were surprisingly well-maintained — much better than I expected for a Tier 2 airport, so kudos for that. Security queue was painfully slow; we waited nearly 35 minutes during peak morning hours and the tray system was quite disorganised. Dropping off passengers is a bit chaotic outside the terminal entrance, especially during evenings when cabs and autos all pile up at once. Parking charges also felt steep for what is essentially an open-air lot with patchy lighting.

As an NRI coming home to Assam every year, I've seen this airport improve quite a bit over the last few visits — the new seating areas past security are comfortable and the free WiFi actually held up well enough for a video call with my wife. I tried the local thali at the restaurant near Gate 3 and it was genuinely good, proper Assamese flavours at not-too-outrageous prices. Cleanliness dips a little in the arrivals area, especially around the baggage carousel where the floors get grimy during the monsoon season. Some ground staff seemed indifferent when I asked about a delayed belt announcement, but nothing dealbreaking.