Introduction: Airway management is must during delivery of general anaesthesia. Previously, laryngoscopy and endotracheal tube (ETT) insertion has been the mainstay in providing adequate airway management and delivering anaesthesia. The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) offers a much less invasive way of maintaining the airway as it does not pass through the glottis but is placed over the glottis. It does not require the use of the laryngoscope. Objective: To determine the haemodynamic response elicited by laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation and compare it with that elicited by laryngeal mask insertion in ASA I and ASA II patients, undergoing elective general surgeries. Methods: A hospital based prospective randomized comparative study was conducted to determine the haemodynamic response, elicited by laryngoscopy and endotracheal intubation and compare it with that elicited by laryngeal mask airway insertion in ASA I and ASA II patients, undergoing elective general surgeries. After induction of anaesthesia either an ETT or LMA was inserted. Evaluations included measurement of blood pressure and heart rates before insertion, and 1 minute, 3 minutes and 5 minutes after insertion. Results: There was an increase in HR, SBP and DBP seen after laryngoscopy and ETT insertion as well as after laryngeal mask airway insertion. The change in haemodynamic parameters after laryngoscopy and ETT insertion were significantly greater than those elicited by LMA insertion. Conclusion: A significant haemodynamic response consisting of an increase in HR, SBP and DBP was seen after the insertion of both the LMA and ETT in this study. It was also concluded that the haemodynamic response to laryngoscopy and ETT insertion is significantly greater than that to LMA insertion.