Wow! First commercial flight at Sikkim’s beautiful Pakyong airport gets water cannon salute; watch video
Friday, October 5, 2018 IST
The commercial flights to Pakyong airport have commenced as part of Modi government's ambitious UDAN scheme. The flight is from Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to Sikkim's Pakyong.
Want to visit the beautiful north-eastern state of Sikkim? What are you waiting for? The state became the latest addition to the country’s aviation map with SpiceJet operating its first direct commercial flight to the Pakyong airport. The Pakyong airport was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The commercial flights to Pakyong airport have commenced as part of Modi government’s ambitious UDAN scheme. The flight is from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to Sikkim’s Pakyong. On landing, the first flight received a water cannon salute by the team of Airports Authority of India!
The Pakyong airport, which has been built at 4500 feet height, provides easy access to the stunning mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes and more of the north-eastern region. If you don’t believe us, check out the mesmerizing video below, tweeted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation:
A statement issued by the state government of Sikkim stated that SpiceJet’s Bombardier Q400 aircraft carrying 74 passengers from Kolkata landed at the Pakyong Greenfield Airport on Thursday. It further mentioned that the airport has opened a new avenue for transport to the state. Now travel and commuting for the people in Sikkim will not only be less time consuming but also more convenient.
The Pakyong airport, built around 2 kilometres above the Pakyong village in Sikkim, is spread across 201 acres. The airport is located at a distance of around 30 kilometres from the state capital city – Gangtok. The airport will be operated by the Airports Authority of India. Before the commencement of operations at the airport, people travelling to Sikkim had to first take a flight till Bagdogra in West Bengal, which is around 150 kilometres away and then go to Gangtok via hilly roads. Now, with the establishment of Pakyong airport, the state has got unprecedented air connectivity.
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