Sikkim MP Indra Hang Subba urges Airports Authority of India to resume flight operations from Pakyong

Sikkim’s Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba urged India’s Airports Authority of India (AAI) to expedite restoration at Pakyong airport and restart scheduled flights, describing the airport as effectively non-operational for nearly two years. Pakyong, inaugurated in 2018, has faced prolonged disruption due to recurring geological instability and slope failures. On Thursday, Subba met AAI chairman Vipin Kumar in Delhi, pressing for an urgent acceleration of the detailed project report (DPR) to address critical slope failures and restore operations. The MP also highlighted that a landslide from a collapsed slope below the runway damaged NH17A, affecting commuters around Pakyong district. Subba argued that delays in preliminary slope-stabilisation studies have worsened conditions, making restoration more complex, costly, and risky. With the nearest airport about 130 km away in Bagdogra, he suggested expanding Sikkim’s support under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme until flights become commercially viable, and asked AAI to complete planning and approvals before the post-monsoon working season.