'Great news,' says PM Modi as Cabinet approves 'International' status to Kushinagar Airport

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the declaration of the airport in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district as an international airport, making it the fourth airport in the state with the status. 

While two others with 'International Airport' status are Lucknow and Varanasi, another is under construction in Noida (Jewar) near Delhi.

The decision to declare the airport at Kushinagar, a popular Buddhist cultural site, as an 'Internation Airport' was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kushinagar Airport is located in the vicinity of several Buddhist cultural sites like Sravasti, Kapilvastu, Lumbini and declaration as an “International Airport” will offer improved connectivity, wider choice of competitive costs to the air-travellers, a government statement said. 

It will result in boosting of domestic and international tourism and economic development of the regions, the statement said. 

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.

Modi said the move is a "great news" for Uttar Pradesh, tourism and those inspired by the noble thoughts of Lord Buddha.

"Great news for Uttar Pradesh, tourism and those inspired by the noble thoughts of Lord Buddha! Kushinagar Airport will now be an international airport. Connectivity will improve significantly. More tourists and pilgrims will also mean better opportunities for local population," he said in a tweet.

Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the government has fulfilled a long-pending demand of pilgrims and visitors. 

"Fulfilling a long pending demand of pilgrims & visitors, Union Cabinet under visionary leadership of Sh @narendramodi Ji has declared the airport in the holy Buddhist city of Kushinagar, where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvan, as an International Airport," Puri said. 

Announcing the Cabinet decision, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said, "You know that Kushinagar is the mid-point of the Buddhist circuit. It has pilgrimage sites in Lumbini, Shravasti, Kapilvastu nearby in, and a little farther, it has sites in Sarnath and Gaya." 

"However, there was no airport there of international standards. Kushinagar airport is being declared as an international airport. A 3-km-long runway strip has already been made. Now, even a big aircraft of Airbus can land at the airport," he added.

The Central government said around 200-300 devotees from Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Myanmar, etc come to offer prayers at Kushinagar on any given day.

Kushinagar is part of the "Buddhist Circuit" and is a key pilgrimage destination for 530 million practising Buddhists across the globe. 

Several other Buddhist sites near Kushinagar like Sravasti (238 km), Kapilvastu (190 km) and Lumbini (195 km) make it an attraction for the followers of Buddhism.