Direct flight services between Delhi and Sikkim commence

Direct flight services betweenDelhi and Sikkim commenced on Saturday with a SpiceJetaircraft landing at Pakyong airport in the Himalayan statewith 57 passengers, officials said.

Commercial flight services to the tabletop airportrecommenced after nearly one-and-half years after the privateairliner halted its operations between Kolkata and Pakyong inJune 2019 due to bad weather conditions and technicalproblems.

Commercial flight operations to the airport started inOctober 2018.

A Bombardier Q400 aircraft landed at the airportaround noon and flew back to Delhi with 12 passengers onboard, they said.

State Health Minister M K Sharma, senior officials ofthe Tourism Department and the Airports Authority of India(AAI) were present at the airport.

''This was the first commercial flight from Delhi toPakyong,'' a senior tourism official told PTI.

The weather conditions were suitable for the aircraftto land safely on the 1.7 km by 30 m runway, he said.

The direct Delhi-Pakyong flight will boost tourism andalso help locals visit Delhi for medical emergencies, Sharmasaid.

The airport, built by the AAI at an estimated cost ofRs 605 crore, is located at a height of 4,646 feet and is oneof the five highest airports in the country.