Inaugurated by Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Mysuru’s setup marks another milestone in a nationwide project that has expanded across 68 airports managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
One more airport gets a Flybrary!????
Now, you can pick up a book while waiting for your flight at Mysuru Airport. Why not make travel a little more enriching? pic.twitter.com/R2WaLNsop3
— Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu (@RamMNK) August 22, 2026
What Is a Flybrary?
A Flybrary is a complimentary, community-powered public bookshelf stationed directly inside airport passenger lounges.
The concept was first pioneered at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport by the Bakul Foundation in partnership with the AAI to promote reading in transit spaces. Following positive traveller response, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and AAI expanded the initiative to dozens of regional and metro terminals across the country.
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How the System Operates
The Flybrary framework is built on an honour system designed with zero red tape:
– No Registration or Fees: Travellers do not need a library card, identity verification, security deposit, or digital check-out.
– Grab and Read: Any passenger waiting for a flight can browse the open shelves, pick up a book, and begin reading right away.
– Mid-Air Borrowing: Flyers are not required to finish the book before boarding. The initiative actively encourages passengers to carry the copy onto their flight to read mid-air.
– Inter-Airport Drop-Off: Once finished, the book can simply be returned to a Flybrary shelf at the destination airport. If a reader needs more time, they can hold onto it and return it during a return flight or a future trip to any participating terminal.
What Can You Find on the Shelves?
The racks house an assortment of genres, including bestselling fiction, biographies, self-help, non-fiction, and children’s storybooks. Regional-language publications are also tailored to local hubs—such as Kannada titles at Mysuru and Odia literature at Bhubaneswar.
The Pay-It-Forward Donation Model
Flybrary operates on community circulation. Local service organisations—such as the Rotary Club of Mysore West in the case of Mysuru Airport—partner with airport teams to supply initial inventories. Everyday passengers are also encouraged to leave behind finished paperbacks on the shelves to keep the collections circulating for future travellers.
Where to Find Them
While the network continues to scale across 68 AAI-operated airports nationwide, prominent terminals with Flybrary installations include Bhubaneswar (Biju Patnaik International), Mysuru, Ranchi (Birsa Munda), Mangaluru, Amritsar, Pune, Chandigarh, Leh, Bhuj, and Kullu-Manali.
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