The flight carried Buddhist monks and Buddha’s relics brought from Waskaduwa Sri Subuddhi Rajvihaa Temple in Sri Lanka by the Mahanayaka of the temple. The monks were accompanied by Sri Lankan Cabinet Minister Namal Rajapaksha, who is also the son of Sri Lankan Prime Minister. Later in the day, Modi visited Mahaparinirvana Temple 1 in Kushinagar to mark the Abhidhamma day amidst monks both from Sri Lanka and India.

A group of Buddhist monks deboard the inaugural Sri Lankan Airlines flight after landing at Kushinagar International Airport. (PTI)

The airport, built on a 590-acre land at a cost of about Rs 260 crore, aims to promote Buddhist tourists from across the world, especially from places like Sri Lanka, Japan, China, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam to visit not just Kushinagar but also places associated with Buddha in the neighbouring region like Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini etc.

Modi said the airport will connect the regions of Kushinagar, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya as well as Kapilvastu, that have been associated with the different phases of Buddha’s life, to the rest of the world.

He said that the project would not only provide better connectivity to followers of Buddhism in India but also to those in countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Japan, Korea etc. Modi said the “Kushinagar International Airport is a tribute to the devotion of the Buddhist society around the world” and added the government is focussed to develop places associated with Buddha.

Outside view of the Kushinagar international airport. (PTI)

Calling the completion of the airport as a fulfilment of one of his “commitments” to the region as its representative, Modi said the project will also boost the economy of the region.

The Prime Minister informed that the first flight from Kushinagar to Delhi would start in the next few weeks and assured work on another international airport in Jewar is on alongside other aerodromes at Ayodhya, Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Moradabad and Shravasti districts.

Earlier in the day, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed that the first direct flight between Delhi and Kushinagar would start from November 26, and direct flights to Kushinagar from Mumbai and West Bengal would start from December 18.

Giving details about the boost given to the aviation sector in the country in his regime, the Prime Minister referred to his government’s decision on Air India and said it would ensure running of the sector in the country “professionally”, giving priority to “convenience and safety”. He said that the step would give “new energy to the civil aviation sector of the country”.

Referring to the recently announced drone policy, the Prime Minister said it would bring “life changing transformation” in sectors like agriculture, health and even disaster management and defence.

He also spoke about the ‘Gati Shakti’ programme and said the national master plan would not just improve governance but would also ensure an increase in capacity of different modes of transportation, including road, rail and air.

Later in the day, Modi visited Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinagar to mark Abhidhamma day and said that from Kushinagar, the delegation of monks would be visiting his parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

Modi, who touched the feet of the monks while greeting them on the occasion, said at a time when the world is talking about environment conservation and climate change and several questions are being raised, adopting Buddha’s message will help understand what to do.

He said that Buddha is “viashvik” (universal) because he talked about starting from within and added that “Buddhatva” of Buddha is “sense of ultimate responsibility”. The Prime Minister said Buddha’s message “Appa Deepo Bhava” is a motivation for India to become self-reliant.

Among those present during the occasion were Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy, Kiran Rijiju and Jyotiraditya Scindia. Cabinet Minister of the Sri Lankan government Namal Rajapaksha, Buddhist delegations as well as diplomats from South Korea, Nepal, Singapore, Japan, Mongolia, Myanamar, Vietnam, Lao, Bhutan, Sri Lanka etc were also present.