Surbung Airport will be opened in late May in Falam Township, Chin State. It was begun in 2015 and was planned to complete in 2022. Surbung is located at the northern Chin, Falam, Surbung Airport sits on the Surbung mountain range, 1830 meters above the sea level, and will feature an 1830-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runway to handle ATR-72 aircraft.
The project worth K37 billion and it will link Chin State with seven other states in Myanmar which has at least one airport.
With the opening of the airport, the government expects to see more travelers to the state. Lack of infrastructure and mountainous landscape make Chin State a difficult state to travel to. There were only a handful of local hotel businesses operating and no foreign investments up until last year. Last year, the Chin State Investment and Product Fair was held in Yangon to help potential investors understand both existing and untapped areas of investment in Chin, including farming, power generation, hotels and tourism and infrastructure.
Chin State is among the least developed regions in the country and almost 60% of the population lives in poverty according to the 2017 Myanmar Living Conditions Survey.
The Chin State government is also making plans to build smaller airports in Tiddim, Tonzang, Falam and Hakha townships excluding Surbung according to The Myanmar Times statement.
Myanmar has three international airports and 58 domestic ones, of which only 31 are currently in operation.
Sources: The Myanmar Times
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