First-Ever Greenfield Airport at Sikkim

Good news for the North-east part of the country as the construction of first ever Greenfield airport in Sikkim will be completed by the next year. The airport is situated in Pakyong and will be one of the highest airports in the country after its completion.

Bhim Prasad Dhungel, State Tourism Minister confirmed that the much anticipated airport will be ready for use by December 2014.Apparently, the construction of this Rs 300-crore airport is in full swing.  Dhungel indicated that operations of flights from Sikkim Airport are likely to commence by March 2015.

This first-ever airport of Sikkim is built at an elevation of 4,700 feet above sea level and has been fortified by 80 meter high wall. So far, its reinforcement wall has been recorded as the tallest wall in the world. The airport is reported to have 180 meter long airstrip, which will assist the landing of aircrafts like ATR-72, the twin-engine short-haul turboprops. The Pakyong airport will also enable an alternate route for the state as at present it has to depend on National Highway-31 for connectivity to the rest of the country. By Nidhi Singh

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