A Congress leader has claimed that Rahul Gandhi's plane was denied permission to land at the airport here late Monday night, a charge denied by the airport authorities.

Senior Congress leader Ajay Rai on Tuesday alleged that Gandhi's plane was scheduled to land at the Babat airport here on his return from Wayanad in Kerala.

Rai said he and other party leaders were at the airport to receive their leader but his plane was not allowed to land "at the last minute." Gandhi then returned to the national capital.

However, Varanasi airport director Aryama Sanyal denied the allegation that they had refused permission for Gandhi's plane to land.

The air traffic controller was told that the plan to land at the airport has been cancelled, Sanyal said.

"The flight was cancelled by M/S AR Airways by sending an email to AAI Varanasi Airport at 2116 hrs on 13th Feb.Please correct your statement as the flight was cancelled by the operator", a tweet from Varanasi Airport said.

The former Congress chief was scheduled to visit Prayagraj for a function at the Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Rai said.

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