Smokers should know one thing about Indianapolis International Airport before they arrive: there is nowhere to smoke on airport property. IND has been a 100% smoke-free campus since 2008 — one of the strictest airport smoking policies in the country — and the ban was extended to e-cigarettes and vaping in 2019. There are no indoor smoking lounges past security and, unlike most airports, no designated outdoor smoking areas either. Here is the full picture.
If you searched for an indianapolis airport smoking area hoping for a post-security lounge or a curbside spot, here is the honest answer: none exists anywhere on airport grounds.
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No Smoking Areas Anywhere on Airport Property
IND’s tobacco-free policy covers the entire airport campus: inside the terminal and Civic Plaza, on both concourses, at the curbside, on the sidewalks and roadways, in the Ground Transportation Center, and in the parking garages. That makes IND stricter than most U.S. airports, which typically keep at least a designated outdoor area near the curb. Because the ban covers the curbside and garages too, stepping outside for a quick cigarette and coming back through TSA is not a practical option — you would have to leave airport grounds completely. Violators can be given a warning or a fine by airport police.
Plan Your Smoke Break Before You Arrive
The practical takeaway: have your last cigarette before you enter airport property. If you are being dropped off, that means before the terminal roadways; if you are parking, before you drive onto airport grounds. For connecting passengers, there is no way to smoke during a layover without exiting the airport entirely and clearing security again — on a short connection, it simply is not feasible. Nicotine gum or lozenges are the realistic alternative for long travel days.
Vaping and E-Cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes and vaping devices fall under the same campus-wide ban, which the airport authority extended to cover them in 2019. Vaping is treated exactly like smoking: not allowed indoors, not allowed at the curb, not allowed in the garages. The nearest place to vape is off airport grounds.
How the Ban Came About
IND’s smoke-free campus dates to 2008, when the Indianapolis Airport Authority decided against creating even a single designated outdoor smoking area — a board vote kept the hard-line policy in place rather than adding one outside baggage claim. The rule applies to airport employees as well as travelers. Indiana’s statewide smoking ban covers most indoor public places, but IND went further by making the entire property, indoors and out, tobacco-free.
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