The Northeastern state of Sikkim now has an airport. Pakyong Airport was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister at Pakyong (Gangtok) today. The inauguration took place in the august presence of Sh. Ganga Prasad, Hon’ble Governor of Sikkim; Sh. Pawan Chamling, Chief Minister of Sikkim; Sh. Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation; Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (I/C) Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space; Sh. D. T. Lepcha, Minister of Public Works (Buildings and Housing) and Transport, Govt. of Sikkim; Sh. Prem Das Rai, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha); Sh. Hishey Lachungpa, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and Sh. Hemendra Adhikari, Member of Legislative Assembly, Rhenock, Sikkim.
Airports Authority of India, under the aegis of Ministry of Civil Aviation is committed to provide air connectivity and develop and upgrade airport infrastructure across the country. Due to the proactive measures being undertaken by the government, India is already one of the fastest growing civil aviation markets in the world and is gearing up to become the third largest civil aviation market of the world.
The new airport at Pakyong has been developed by the Airports Authority of India at an estimated cost of Rs. 553 Crores.Spread across over 202 acres of land, the area of terminal Building of the airport is 3200 sqm with a peak hour handling capacity of 100 passengers. The Airport has been developed to handle ATR 72-500 type of aircraft operations.
It is the first ever Greenfield airport in Northeast India which will be one of India’s five highest-altitude airports, located at a height of 1,399 m or 4,590 feet. Difficult topography and hostile weather conditions made this project extremely challenging and exciting. An extensive use of Geo-grid soil reinforcement and slope stabilization was used to maximize the development area. The reinforcement wall on the project is one of the tallest reinforcement walls in the world. With a 550 mtr. wide and 1.7 km long corridor in which the runway and airport buildings are constructed, the Terminal Building has five check-in counters and one arrival carousel.
The building has been perceived as a single spacious volume, through which passengers can easily flow from road to the aircraft. The building interior emanates a sense of calm, uncluttered spaces that offer a place for passengers to relax, away from the stress of their long journeys. An internal zen garden with a sitting Buddha statue adorns at one end of the passenger concourse. The glass envelop of the terminal opens up the interiors visually towards the panoramic scenic site of the mighty Himalayas. The terminal building has acquired a vibrant character as its glass envelope reflects the landscape imagery.
The terminal building of the airport is equipped with all modern passenger facilities, consisting of pre-engineered structure with glass & steel envelop having profile sheet roofing on steel truss. Sustainable design in engineering services including public health, electrical, BMS, fire detection & fighting, landscaping & interior design has facilitated a comprehensive & holistic design adding value to the building. The interiors of the building depict local handicrafts, murals & tourist destinations.
Pakyong Airport, would not only promote tourism, open up opportunities for the Sikkimese people and bring in an era of economic development, but will also provide airlift during emergencies & disasters and will also give a thrust to the connectivity of the state with flights to and from Kolkata and Guwahati.
The book titled “100 Airports for New India, depicting salient features and visuals of the airport and facilities available at respective airports was also released by the Hon’ble Prime Minister during the airport inaugural ceremony.
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