A Spicejet 78 seater Bombardier Q400 aircraft made a historic landing at the Pakyong airport in Sikkim on Saturday. The flight landed at 11.55 in the morning at Pakyong.
Sikkim Chief Secretary AK Srivastav , Tourism Secretary, DC East, SDM Pakyong Sub Division, Sikkim Police DG , SP East, Pakyong Airport Director, General Manager, Special Branch ADGP and others were present at the airport to witness the successful landing.
Teams from DGCA, AAI Board and Spicejet Operation came in the aircraft from Kolkata and New Delhi in the first trial flight.
All the delegates stayed for a while at the airport surveying the runway along with the technical staff, before taking off from Kolkata.
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling expressed his happiness on the momentous occasion.
Chief Secretary AK Shrivastava while congratulating the people for this historic moment said that this was a great day for the Sikkimese people who have been waiting for the past 18 years for this.
The first public air base in the state is a green field airport at Pakyong in east Sikkim, 35 km from capital Gangtok. The Pakyong Airport project had commenced in 2009.