Sikkim's Pakyong Airport Gets License, Becomes India's 100th Functional Airport
Pakyong airport in Sikkim has become India’s 100th functional airport as the airport got the license on Friday for scheduled operations. Until now Sikkim was the sole state in the country that did not have an airport.
People travelling to Sikkim had to take a flight to Bagdogra airport, situated in Darjeeling district of West Bengal and then undertake a road journey of around five to six hours.
SpiceJet is the first airline to operate Pakyong-Kolkata flights and has got permission under the Civil Aviation Ministry’s UDAN scheme. The airline had made its first commercial landing in March this year. Regular flights to Delhi, Kolkata, and Guwahati are likely to commence soon.
@flyspicejet#q400 takes off from #PakyongAirport in #Sikkim. This is surely going to be destination airport #AvGeekpic.twitter.com/lljlrbu7M1
— Karma Paljor (@Karma_Paljor) March 11, 2018
Union Minister Suresh Prabhu wrote, “The Pakyong (Gangtok) Airport at Sikkim got license today for scheduled operations. It’s an engineering marvel at a height of more than 4,500 ft in a tough terrain. Will pave way for direct air connectivity to our lovely state of Sikkim, giving boost to tourism & economic growth.”
Jharsaguda airport has become the second licensed airport in the state of Odisha as per a release from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.