Kushinagar itself is known to be a Buddhist cultural site and the Kushinagar Airport is located in the vicinity of several well known Buddhist cultural sites like Lumbini, Kapilvastu, Sravasti, etc.
Kushinagar Airport update: Soon, the state of Uttar Pradesh will have another international airport! Recently, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for the declaration of Kushinagar Airport in the state of Uttar Pradesh as an international airport. Kushinagar itself is known to be a Buddhist cultural site and the Kushinagar Airport is located in the vicinity of several well known Buddhist cultural sites like Lumbini, Kapilvastu, Sravasti, etc. According to a recent press release issued by the Cabinet, this move will offer better air connectivity, a wider choice of competitive costs to air passengers.
The transformation of Kushinagar Airport into an international airport will also give a boost to domestic and international tourism as well as economic development of the regions. Known to be one of the important Buddhist pilgrimage sites, Kushinagar is located in the north-eastern part of Uttar Pradesh, around 50 kilometres east of Gorakhpur.
Last year, in the month of March, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) with the state government of Uttar Pradesh for taking over the development as well as the operationalization of the existing Kushinagar Airport, belonging to the Uttar Pradesh government. To enhance air connectivity in the region, the AAI had agreed to take over the non-operational Kushinagar Airport, which is spread over an area of 589 acres along with its infrastructure like apron, runway, etc., for the airport’s development and operationalization.
In the coming years, the Noida International Greenfield Airport or the Jewar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh will become India’s largest airport and also, one among the biggest airports in the world in terms of runway numbers. The Jewar Airport is proposed to be developed in an area of 5000 acres and the project is likely to cost around Rs 29,560 crore. It will be the third airport in the National Capital Region after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and Ghaziabad’s Hindon Airport.
source: https://www.financialexpress.com/infrastructure/airlines-aviation/kushinagar-airport-in-uttar-pradesh-to-be-an-international-airport-modi-cabinet-takes-key-decision/2003573/