5 May 2018, 1:14 am
All Clear : Pakyong Airport acquires license for commercial flights
This article has been preserved from The Voice Of Sikkim historical news collection and reflects information available at the time of its original publication.
Pakyong Airport acquires license for an official flights - Spicejet Bombardier Q 400 Landing on 10 March 2018
Pakyong, 04 May : The tiny Himalayan State of Sikkim is finally all set to join the aaviation network of the country, with a good news coming in that Pakyong Airport has finally acquired license to take off officially.
The Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu took to Twitter to announce the development, saying the license would pave the way for direct air connectivity to the state, giving boost to tourism and economic growth.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu took to Twitter to announce the development in his Twitter Handle on 04 May 2018
"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," he tweeted.
Pakyong airport, about 30 km from the state capital of Gangtok, will be the 100th operational airport when it begins operation, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha had said on Wednesday.
Low-cost airline SpiceJet has been granted permission to fly to Pakyong from Kolkata under the Civil Aviation Ministry's regional connectivity scheme.
Sikkim was the only state remaining without a functional airport. The airport was built at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore and was hailed an engineering marvel given the inhospitable terrain and the geographical location of the state.
Check Out The Timeline of Pakyong Airport Unto Commercialisation?