Photos: PM Modi inaugurates Kushinagar airport in Uttar Pradesh

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: ANI)

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, UP governor Anandiben Patel, CM Yogi Adityanath and other dignitaries were also present at the ceremony. (Photo: ANI)

An inaugural flight from Colombo landed at Kushinagar airport whose passengers include a group of respected monks. (Photo: ANI)

The airport has been developed with a terminal that can handle 300 passengers per hour. (Photo: TNN)

The airport is built at a cost of Rs 260 crore with the state’s longest runway of 3,200 meters. (Photo: TNN)

Under UDAN, SpiceJet and Truejet have been awarded flights to connect Kushinagar with Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gaya, Bareilly, Saharanpur and Hindon (Photo: TNN)

SpiceJet is likely to have a Delhi-Kushinagar flight, say sources. (Photo: TNN)

Located strategically near Buddhist sites in both UP and Bihar, the airport will serve as a major conduit in the Buddhist circuit. (Photo: TNN)

The airport will put the district on international aviation map, providing direct flights from several countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan and Cambodia. (Photo: TNN)