Kushinagar gets nod from DGCA, becomes third international airport in UP

Feb 23,2021

The Kushinagar Airport got the necessary clearances from DGCA to become the third licensed international airport of Uttar Pradesh.

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted,"Kushinagar Airport gets necessary clearances from DGCA to become 3rd licensed international airport of UP. Will boost tourism in the region & facilitate travel on Buddhist circuit by providing direct aviation connectivity to the city where Lord Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana."

Kushinagar is the mid-point of the Buddhist circuit. It has pilgrimage sites in Lumbini, Shravasti, Kapilvastu nearby it. A little farther, it has sites in Sarnath and Gaya, the government had said at the time of granting the international status to the airport. The Central government had also said that around 200-300 devotees from Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, Myanmar, among others, come to offer prayers at Kushinagar on any given day.

Once this airport begins operating international flights, it will become third international facility in the state. At present, two international airports -- Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at Lucknow and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Varanasi -- are operational in the state, the UP government said.

Considered one of the four main pilgrimage sites of Buddhism, Kushinagar is believed to be the place where Gautama Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana after his death. 'Kushinagar is the Central point of Buddhist circuit. A large number of followers of Buddhism come here, as this is the place where Lord Buddha attained Mahanirvana. He had given his first sermon at Sarnath," Adityanath said.