SpiceJet Airlines has decided to suspend operations at Sikkim’s Pakyong Airport from October 30 till further notice, citing operational requirements. Flight suspension from the lone airport of Sikkim, for the time being, will impede connectivity with the tiny Himalayan state.
In a letter to the Director of Pakyong Airport, the airline said, “SpiceJet has decided to suspend operations out of Pakyong from October 30, 2022, till further notice. It is due to operational requirements.”
“Given the above, may we request you to kindly consider this communication as an official correspondence on the captioned subject. Further would request your good office to intimate the pendency dues,” – the letter further reads.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Pakyong Airport on September 2018 to improve connectivity with the land-locked state, nestled in the Himalayas. Built at Rs 605 crores, the airport is spread over 201 acres and located on top of a hill about two km above Pakyong village at 4,500 feet above sea level.
Pakyong airport became the 100th operational airport in India. But the airport has faced issues with no flights for nearly 20 months.
In January 2021, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved a new landing procedure for Pakyong to increase reliability, allowing SpiceJet to resume services to Pakyong from Delhi and Kolkata.
