Which of the following Airports in Uttar Pradesh has been granted International Status on 24th June, 2020 by Union Cabinet of India ?
- (a)Agra Airport
- (b)Prayagraj Airport
- (c)Gorakhpur Airport
- (d)Kushinagar Airport
Correct — D, Kushinagar Airport. On 24 June 2020 the Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved granting 'international airport' status to Kushinagar Airport in Uttar Pradesh. Kushinagar is a major Buddhist pilgrimage centre (the site of the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana), so international status was aimed at connecting the global Buddhist circuit — pilgrims from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and elsewhere. The airport was later formally inaugurated and received its first international flight (from Sri Lanka) in October 2021, but the Cabinet decision to grant international status is dated 24 June 2020.
- (a)Agra Airport — Agra (Kheria) airport serves Taj Mahal tourism and shares its base with the Indian Air Force, but it was not the airport granted international status by the 24 June 2020 Cabinet decision.
- (b)Prayagraj Airport — Prayagraj (Bamrauli) airport got a new civil terminal ahead of the 2019 Kumbh, but it was not the subject of the 24 June 2020 international-status approval.
- (c)Gorakhpur Airport — Gorakhpur is a domestic airport (also an IAF base) near Kushinagar, but the international status went to Kushinagar, not Gorakhpur.
Under the Aircraft Rules, the Union Cabinet/Ministry of Civil Aviation can declare an airport an 'international airport', allowing scheduled international flights and customs/immigration facilities. Kushinagar was developed as a greenfield international airport specifically to serve the Buddhist tourism circuit of eastern UP and Bihar (Kushinagar, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Lumbini).
This is a current-affairs 'which place' recall. All four options are UP airports, so the trap is to pick a bigger, better-known city like Agra. The anchor is the date (24 June 2020) tied to Kushinagar and its Buddhist-circuit significance.
- Union Cabinet approved international status for Kushinagar Airport on 24 June 2020
- Kushinagar is the site of the Buddha's Mahaparinirvana — a key Buddhist pilgrimage destination
- Built as a greenfield airport to link the international Buddhist circuit
- Formally inaugurated in 2021; first international flight arrived from Sri Lanka (Oct 2021)
- Choosing a famous tourist city (Agra) over the correct answer (Kushinagar)
- Confusing the 2020 Cabinet approval date with the 2021 inauguration/first-flight date
UPPSC/UPSC frame these as 'which airport/place + date' current-affairs recalls — pair the milestone (international status, 24 June 2020) with the airport (Kushinagar) and its Buddhist-circuit purpose.
Consider the following airports: 1. Donyi Polo Airport 2. Kushinagar International Airport 3. Vijayawada International Airport In the recent past, which of the above have been constructed as Greenfield projects?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 2 and 3 only
- (c) 1 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(a) 1 and 2 only
Same subject — Kushinagar International Airport. UPPSC asks about its 2020 grant of international status; UPSC tests that Kushinagar (with Donyi Polo) was built as a greenfield airport.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Kushinagar, whose airport was granted international status in 2020, is chiefly associated with which event in the life of the Buddha?
- (a)Birth
- (b)Enlightenment
- (c)First Sermon
- (d)Mahaparinirvana (death)
Answer(d) Mahaparinirvana — Kushinagar is where the Buddha attained parinirvana; Lumbini = birth, Bodh Gaya = enlightenment, Sarnath = first sermon.
- practice — not a real PYQ
A 'greenfield airport' in India refers to an airport that is:
- (a)Built on an entirely new site rather than expanding an existing one
- (b)Reserved only for military use
- (c)Located within a wildlife green zone
- (d)Powered fully by solar energy
Answer(a) Built on an entirely new site — as opposed to a brownfield (expansion of an existing) airport.