Why Choose Sikkim Tour
Sikkim, a tiny former kingdom in the Himalayas, is home to Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain. The state is connected to Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal through eight mountain passes. Till date, Sikkim was the only state in India that did not have any functional airport. Earlier, visitors had to take a flight to West Bengal’s Bagdogra airport and then travel for 124 kms uphill to Gangtok which was around 5 hours journey. However, the new Pakyong airport is just about 30 kms from Gangtok which has shortened the travel duration to 45 mins only, adding nearly a day to the visitor’s vacation.
If it’s Sikkim, it has to be beautiful and the airport is arguably one of the most beautiful in the world. India’s 100th functional airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24th September 2018, for which the foundation stone was laid in 2009.
The airport is carved out of a mountainside and has been described as an "engineering marvel". It is located around 60 kms from the Indo-China border. The airport is on top of a hill above Pakyong village at 4,500ft (1,371 metres) above sea level and it's spread across over 201 acres. It has a 1.75km runway with a width of 30 mtrs, which can handle small, ATR aircraft. The reinforcement wall is 80 mtrs high, one of the tallest in the world.