PAKYONG: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Sikkim’s first airport at Pakyong on September 24, 2018. Its foundation stone was laid in 2009 and was constructed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Sikkim expects that the functional airport will lead to growth in tourism and economy.
It is spread over 201 acres and features ATC tower-cum-fire station, two sophisticated CFT, 3,000 sq metre terminal building for passengers, high-intensity runway lights and parking for over 50+ vehicles.
It is the first green-field airport in Northeast India. Green-field Airport is an aviation facility which has been commissioned and constructed from scratch without remodeling or renovating an existing structure.
PM said that his government is committed to make Northeast an “engine of India’s growth story”. He said that after the functioning of airport starts the tourist footfall in Sikkim will increase manifold.
The commercial operations are expected to begin on October 4, 2018. SpiceJet will operate 78-seater Bombardier Q400 flights. Initially the flights will operate to Kolkata and Guwahati afterwards it will be connected to other parts of the country.
It is located around 33km from Gangtok, the state capital and 60km from the Indo-China border. It is 4,500 feet above the sea level.