Sikkim airport attractions: PM Modi inaugurates airport in Pakyong

Guwahati : Good News! Sikkim, the dramatic state in Northeast India has got its first airport. Now, it will take a few hours for travellers to explore the beauty of glaciers, mountain peaks and alpine meadows. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurated the airport at Pakyong on September 24. He reached Sikkim after launching the Ayushman Bharat- National Health Protection Mission from Ranchi on Sunday.

PM Modi said that the Sikkim airport will improve connectivity, benefiting the people of the state. Sikkim's dream of having an airport will come true nine years after a foundation stone of the greenfield airport was laid, around 33 km from Gangtok, in 2009.

Major attractions of Sikkim airport

The airport in Pakyong spread over 201 acres and is located on top of a hill about 2 km above Pakyong village at 4,500 feet above sea level.

Sikkim airport has been constructed by the Airports Authority of India and at present, the nearest airport from Sikkim is located 124 km away in Bagdogra in West Bengal.

It is the first greenfield airport in Northeast India and is around 33 km from the state capital, Gangtok.

First commercial flight from Pakyong would start from October 4. SpiceJet will operate 78-seater Bombardier Q400 flights to and fro Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati, everyday.

The reinforcement wall of the airport is 80-meter-high, one of the tallest in the world. 

Sikkim airport is located around 60 km from the India-China border.

The airport has 1.75 km runway with a width of 30 metre. It has 166-metre-long taxiway connecting it to an apron measuring 106 metre by 76 metre that can simultaneously accommodate two ATR-72 aircraft.

Sikkim airport has 3,000 sq metre terminal building and has a capacity to handle 50 in-bound and as many out-bound passengers.