AMN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Kushinagar International Airport on 20th of this month in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The international airport will get operational this week to ease cumbersome travel of earlier times and facilitate the air travel requirements of international Buddhist pilgrims in India. The inaugural flight will land at the airport from Colombo, Sri Lanka carrying 125 dignitaries and Buddhist monks, highlighting the convenience to Buddhists across the world to visit the Mahaparinirvana Sthal of Lord Buddha.
The Airports Authority of India has developed the Kushinagar Airport with new terminal building at an estimated cost of 260 crore rupees in association with Uttar Pradesh government considering the demand of the domestic and international visitors and pilgrimage. The new terminal is equipped to handle 300 passengers during peak hours. Kushinagar is an international Buddhist Pilgrimage Centre, where Lord Gautam Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. It is also the centre point of the Buddhist circuit, which consists of pilgrimage sites at Lumbini, Sarnath and Gaya. The airport will help in attracting more followers of Buddhism from home and abroad to Kushinagar and will enhance the development of a Buddhist theme-based circuit. The journey of Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Shravasti, Rajgir, Sankisa and Vaishali of the Buddhist circuit will be covered in lesser time.
Inauguration of the Kushinagar Airport will facilitate the pilgrims from across different parts of the world by providing seamless connectivity to various Buddhist sites in the region. Direct aviation connectivity with South Asian countries will make it easier for tourists arriving from Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore to reach Kushinagar and experience the rich heritage of the region. Tourism inflow is expected to rise by up to 20 percent with the inauguration of the flight.