India's new Pakyong Airport opens in incredible Himalayan surroundings

Sometimes an airport is just a strip of asphalt on a flat bit of land outside of town. Other times, as with India's new Pakyong Airport, it's a breathtaking piece of engineering on the roof of the world. Set in the Himalayan mountains at a height of over 1,400m, the facility serving a remote area of Sikkim state offers one of the most dramatic airport approaches on the planet. Its inauguration Monday also marked a milestone for aviation and travel in India. "After the opening of the airport there are now 100 operational airports in India." said Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, during a speech at Pakyong's opening ceremony on Monday. "This airport was built at a cost of $68.7m and showcases our engineers, workers and their potential -- how the mountains were cleared, the ditch was filled, the heavy rains they dealt with. This is truly an amazing feat of engineering." As part of that work, an 80.38m embankment was built to make space for the 1.7-km-long and 30m-wide runway, which is enclosed by deep valleys. The airport's 2,380-sqm terminal can accommodate up to 100 passengers. But its real asset is the incredible Himalayan scenery -- a widescreen landscape.<br/>