Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Sikkim’s first functional airport, Pakyong Airport, today. Sikkim’s Governor Ganga Prasad and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling received PM Modi on Sunday.
PM Modi in a tweet said, “In Sikkim, I will be inaugurating the Pakyong Airport tomorrow, which will improve connectivity and benefit the people of Sikkim.”
The Pakyong Airport will be the first ever airport of the state covering a wide area of 201 acres. The airport is located on a hilltop, 2 km from the Pakyong village and 4,500 feet above sea level. The Airports Authority of India made this 100th operational Indian airport’s cost to Rs. 605 crores. The airport is being considered an engineering marvel for its structure and design. It has been built keeping in mind soil reinforcement and slope stabilization due to the Himalayan altitudes.
The 1.75 km runway of the Pakyong Airport will be a relief to the people travelling from Sikkim and also to its tourists. The current domestic airport of Sikkim is at Bagdogra in West Bengal which is 124 km away from Sikkim.
Pakyong Airport Director R. Manjunathan said, “Spicejet will operate 78 seater Bombardier Q400 flights to and fro Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati every day under the Civil Aviation Ministry’s Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme.” He further added, the focus as of now will be on domestic flights and later international flights might connect Sikkim to Paro in Bhutan, Kathmandu in Nepal and Dhaka in Bangladesh.
The Pakyong Airport’s first commercial flight will begin from the 4th of October.
