Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

SpiceJet, the only carrier flight in Sikkim's Pakyong, has decided to suspend operations in Sikkim from October 30 due to "operational constraints", reports the PTI news. Further, the airline spokesperson had said,  bad weather and low visibility were bottlenecks that had led to operational constraints. Pakyong airport is India's 100th airport inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in 2018 and is the only airport in the state of Sikkim. At a height of 4646 feet, it is one of India's highest airports.

Punj Lloyd Ltd has secured a contract for civil works worth approximately Rs 264 crore from the Airports Authority of India for the construction of a new airport at Pakyong, Sikkim. The project is expected to be completed within 24 months. It includes the construction of a 30-metre-wide, 1.7 km-long runway, a taxiway, an apron drainage system, and electrical work on the airport. Speaking on the occasion, Atul Punj, Chairman of Punj Lloyd Group, said, “ Punj Lloyd is proud to be building Sikkim’s first greenfield airport. Building infrastructure is the prime call of the Indian tourism industry, especially for a state like Sikkim that is yet unexplored and has the potential to become a preferred tourist destination.” The airport will be built at a height of 1404 meters above sea level. The scope of the work shall involve excavation to a depth of 100 meters and earth filling to a height of 80 meters.

Bappaditya Paul SILIGURI, June 19: A team of the Union civil aviation ministry from New Delhi today failed to visit Sikkim to inspect the progress of the upcoming Gangtok airport due to the ongoing blockade of the National Highway 31A by the GJMM Agitating over a separate Gorkhaland state in Darjeeling, the GJMM has brought the Sikkim lifeline to a halt since 16 June evening through its blockade of the highway. The three-member Union civil aviation ministry team, headed by the departmental secretary Mr Ashok Chawla, landed at the Bagdogra airport near Siliguri at 12:15 pm today. The other two members in the team included, the Airports Authority of India member operations Mr Praveen Seth and the executive director (engineering-central headquarters) Mr Raheja. They were scheduled to visit Sikkim by road and take stock of the progress of the Sikkim's first airport project coming up at Pakyong, 31 kms off Gangtok. The team was also supposed to hold a meeting with the Sikkim chief secre...

Fly by night to Northeast JAYANTA ROY CHOWDHURY New Delhi, May 30: Fliers to the Northeast need no longer worry about delayed flights getting inevitably cancelled after sundown because there are no night landing facilities in all but two airports of the region. Delhi is planning to upgrade all airports in the region and make night landing possible in most of them. The Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati, whose “international” status came minus the facilities, will finally undergo a makeover to match “international standards”. Three greenfield airports will be set up in Sikkim, Itanagar and Kohima. The government is also considering a proposal to relax norms to allow airlines operating in the Northeast to connect Guwahati to international destinations. A senior official of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the main problem for airlines and passengers travelling to the region was the short window period for flight operations. Apart from Guwahati and Agartala, no airp...