PM Modi inaugurates Kushinagar International Airport in UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh.The new terminal is equipped to handle 300 passengers during peak hours. The airport is an endeavour in connecting with the Buddhist pilgrimage holy sites around the world. It will serve nearby districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and is an important step in boosting the investment and employment opportunities. Tourism inflow is expected to rise by upto 20%. 

The Kushinagar International Airport has been built at an estimated cost of Rs 260 crore. It will facilitate domestic and international pilgrims to visit the place from where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana. Kushinagar is an international Buddhist pilgrimage centre from Lord Buddha ordained his last disciple and uttered his last words to the sangha and attained MahaParinirvana, upon the death of his physical body, in 487 BCE. It is also the centre point of Buddhist circuit which consists of pilgrimage sites at Lumbini, Sarnath and Gaya. 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.

In his address, .Modi said that the holy land of Kushinagar is now connected with the world. He said that India is committed to develop the regions related to Buddhism and is working continuously to provide better connectivity to these holy places.The Prime Minister said that the civial aviation sector in the country has seen an uptick in recent years. Under the UDAN scheme, approval to over 900 routes has been provided and on more than 350 of these routes, the air service has become operational. Modi said that over 50 airports which were not operational earlier have started functioning. 

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in his address applauded the Uttar Pradesh government and civil aviation ministry for building Kushinagar International Airport in the record time of two years. The Civil Aviation Minister said that in the last 70 years, only 74 airports could be built in the country, but in the last seven years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 54 new airports have been built and now the country has total 128 airports.

in a function held at Mahaparinirvana temple in Kushinagar on the auspicious Abhidhamm Divas, PM Modi that the world is facing many problems related to environment and if we follow the path showed by Buddha, we will get all solutions.

Earlier at around 9 O’clock, inaugural flight landed at Kushinagar International Airport from Colombo carrying over 100 dignitaries and Buddhist monks. Eminent monks from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, South Korea, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia and Ambassadors of various countries are also participating in the event held on the auspicious day of Sharad Poornima. Sri Lankan Minister Namal Rajapakshe said that the biggest gift from India to Sri Lanka is Buddhism. This strengthens people to people connect between the two countries. He thanked the Prime Minister for providing air connectivity to this pious land through Kushinagar International Airport.