Sri Lanka sends first flight to India’s Kushinagar Airport…
October 21, 2021
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar International Airport on Wednesday (October 20) in Uttar Pradesh, as the Sri Lankan delegation marked the first landing.
Aboard the inaugural flight UL 1147 chartered by SriLankan Airlines, was a delegation consisting of Minister Namal Rajapaksa, several lawmakers, hundred plus members of the senior Buddhist monks, belonging to different sects and prominent temples across Sri Lanka, and dozens of Buddhist pilgrims.
The airport is aimed at boosting tourism on the Buddhist circuit, as the ancient city of Kushinagar is the final resting place of Gautama Buddha, where he attained Mahaparinirvana after his death.
Minister Namal Rajapaksa met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parinirvana Stupa following the inauguration of the Kushinagar International Airport in the city.
He also gifted a Sinhala version of the Bhagavad Gita to PM Modi, which also carried a message from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
