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Anand Mohan Sahay in Patna
Bodh Gaya in Bihar, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment 2,500-years-ago, is all set to dot the map of international flights.
With the first test flight landing safely at the Gaya international airport on Friday, Indian Airlines Gaya-Bangkok flights and Sri Lankan Airlines Gaya-Colombo flights will start from November.
This is to be followed by more connections to other South Asian countries.
The Indian Airlines Gaya-Bangkok flight will travel via Kolkata and the Sri Lankan Airlines flight will go via New Delhi.
Bodh Gaya is regarded as the birthplace of Buddhism. The Mahabodhi temple at Gaya is the holiest Buddhist shrine, which was declared a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in July this year. Hundreds of Buddhists and tourists visit this holy place every year.
Gaya Airport Authority Director Sanjay Jain told rediff.com that the Indian Airlines and the Sri Lankan Airlines will operate on a weekly basis.
He said Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Myanmar have also shown interest in establishing flight services to Gaya.
ALSO SEE: International airport at Bodh Gaya
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