Kushinagar airport to have international flights

NEW DELHI: The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved declaration of Kushinagar airport in Uttar Pradesh as an international airport.
After this decision as taken, aviation minister H S Puri tweeted: “Fulfilling a long pending demand of pilgrims and visitors, the Union Cabinet has declared the airport in the holy Buddhist city of Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha attained mahaparinirvan, as an international airport. Direct international connectivity to Kushinagar will substantially increase the number of foreign and domestic tourists to the region. This will also provide impetus to economic development of the region by enabling growth of tourism & hospitality ecosystem in the area.”

The aviation ministry said in a statement: “Kushinagar airport is located in the vicinity of several Buddhist cultural sites like Sravasti, Kapilvastu, Lumbini (Kushinagar itself is a Buddhist cultural site) and declaration as an ‘international airport’ will offer improved connectivity, wider choice of competitive costs to the air-travellers. It will result in boosting of domestic/international tourism and economic development of the regions. It will be an important strategic location with the international border close by. Kushinagar is located in the north-eastern part of Uttar Pradesh about 50 km east of Gorakhpur and is one of the important Buddhist pilgrimage sites.”