<p>Direct flight services between Delhi and Sikkim commenced on Saturday with a SpiceJet aircraft landing at Pakyong airport in the Himalayan state with 57 passengers, officials said.</p>.<p>Commercial flight services to the tabletop airport recommenced after nearly one-and-half years after the private airliner halted its operations between Kolkata and Pakyong in June 2019 due to bad weather conditions and technical problems.</p>.<p>Commercial flight operations to the airport started in October 2018.</p>.<p>A Bombardier Q400 aircraft landed at the airport around noon and flew back to Delhi with 12 passengers on board, they said.</p>.<p>State Health Minister M K Sharma, senior officials of the Tourism Department and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were present at the airport.</p>.<p>"This was the first commercial flight from Delhi to Pakyong," a senior tourism official told <em>PTI</em>.</p>.<p>The weather conditions were suitable for the aircraft to land safely on the 1.7 km by 30 m runway, he said.</p>.<p>The direct Delhi-Pakyong flight will boost tourism and also help locals visit Delhi for medical emergencies, Sharma said.</p>.<p>The airport, built by the AAI at an estimated cost of Rs 605 crore, is located at a height of 4,646 feet and is one of the five highest airports in the country. </p>
<p>Direct flight services between Delhi and Sikkim commenced on Saturday with a SpiceJet aircraft landing at Pakyong airport in the Himalayan state with 57 passengers, officials said.</p>.<p>Commercial flight services to the tabletop airport recommenced after nearly one-and-half years after the private airliner halted its operations between Kolkata and Pakyong in June 2019 due to bad weather conditions and technical problems.</p>.<p>Commercial flight operations to the airport started in October 2018.</p>.<p>A Bombardier Q400 aircraft landed at the airport around noon and flew back to Delhi with 12 passengers on board, they said.</p>.<p>State Health Minister M K Sharma, senior officials of the Tourism Department and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were present at the airport.</p>.<p>"This was the first commercial flight from Delhi to Pakyong," a senior tourism official told <em>PTI</em>.</p>.<p>The weather conditions were suitable for the aircraft to land safely on the 1.7 km by 30 m runway, he said.</p>.<p>The direct Delhi-Pakyong flight will boost tourism and also help locals visit Delhi for medical emergencies, Sharma said.</p>.<p>The airport, built by the AAI at an estimated cost of Rs 605 crore, is located at a height of 4,646 feet and is one of the five highest airports in the country. </p>