Kushinagar Airport

Kushinagar Airport or Padrauna Airport[1][2] is situated in Kushinagar, Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in 52 km east of Gorakhpur Airport.[3] The airport is in 590 acres,[4] has a single airstrip of 3.2 kilometers by 46 metres. It is capable of handling large aircraft.[5]

Kushinagar Airport

Kushinagar Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAirport Authority Of India
OperatorAirports Authority of India
LocationPadrauna, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
Elevation AMSL266 ft / 81 m
Coordinates26°46′12″N 083°54′29″E
Map
Kushinagar Airport
Location of airport in Uttar Pradesh
Kushinagar Airport
Kushinagar Airport (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 10,500 3,200 Asphalt

History and development

On June 24th, 2020 Union Cabinet Committee under the Chairmanship of Honorable PM Shri Narendra Modi decided to recognize Kushinagar Airport as an International Airport.[6] It will be India's 29th International Airport and fourth of Uttar Pradesh including the under construction Jewar Airport. This airport also has strategic importance as International Border is nearby. The airport lies near an important Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Gautama Buddha has attained Parinirvana after his death. The State Government plans to develop the airport to cater to international tourists who visit this site. The government has acquired 650 acres of land for this project at a cost of Rs 180 crores.[5]

The Central Government has agreed to a Viability gap funding (VGF) of 20%.[7] The airport will be built through a joint venture between State Government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).[8]

The project was initially intended to be developed on PPP model at an estimated cost of Rs.354 Crores. The State Government had selected IL&FS Infrastructure Development Company Limited as PPP project consultants. The project got an "In Principle Approval" from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India) in September 2010.

The government received 15 technical bids in 2013 from reputed infrastructure companies for development of the airport.[9]

The state cabinet cleared the project and approved the financial bid document in January 2014.[4] But despite several attempts to reduce the cost and the size of the project, the government could not convince private players about its viability. In May 2015, the state government decided to take the support of AAI to go ahead with the project.[8]

Funds of Rs.199.00 Crores for the proposed International Airport at Kushinagar was released in November 2017 by Uttar Pradesh led by Shri Yogi Adityanath. and during UP Investor Summit in February 2018, CM Yogi Adityanath announced that the airport at Kushinagar will be operational from mid of 2018 this will be a massive development by any government in this region which will provide direct and indirect employment to this region. Due to some technical reasons the airport will still take some time to commence operations.[10]

In June 2020, the airport has been awarded international status to attract Buddhist pilgrims.[11][12]

References
  1. "Padrauna". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  2. "Civil Aviation Promotion Policy of Uttar Pradesh 2017" (PDF). Government of Uttar Pradesh. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  3. "Kushinagar airport to be a boon for migrant labourers". The Times Of India, Shailvee Sharda, TNN 23 Feb 2013, 03.53AM IST.
  4. "Kushinagar airport takes global leap, puts Buddhist circuit on world map TNN". 25 June 2020.
  5. "Project Information Memorandum" (PDF). Government of Uttar Pradesh. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  6. "UP's Kushinagar, On Buddhist Circuit, To Get "International Airport"".
  7. "Kushinagar international airport to get ready for take-off". Business Standard. 7 January 2013.
  8. "Stuck for 7 years, govt decides to rope in AAI for Kushinagar airport". Indian Express. 10 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  9. "15 bids infuse new life into Kushinagar airport project". Hindustan Times. 23 February 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  10. Tiwari, S. N. (20 August 2019). "यूपी कैबिनेट बैठक: कुशीनगर इंटरनेशनल एयरपोर्ट पर मिली मंजूरी! पास हुए ये 18 प्रस्ताव". Breaking Tube. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  11. "Cabinet approves declaration of Kushinagar airport in U.P. as international airport". The Hindu. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  12. Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. "India's Buddhist outreach: International Airport at Kushinagar for Buddhist pilgrims". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 August 2020.


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