<span style="color: #222222;">Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving international airport status to the Kushinagar airport of state and said that it will pave way for the development of the Purvanchal region.<br />''<br />''AIR Lucknow Correspondent reports that in a series of tweets, the Chief Minister congratulated people of Uttar Pradesh and said that within a period of 3 years, two international airports have been sanctioned in state.<br />''<br />''He said that today is a very special day since the long awaited demand was fulfilled by the union cabinet.<br />''<br />''Yogi Adityanath said that while Jewar international airport in Gautam Budh Nagar would ensure air connectivity to western part of state, Kushinagar airport will open new avenues for development of the eastern part.<br />''<br />''The Chief Minister said that they will connect this airport to the south East Asian countries who are followers of Lord Buddha.<br />''<br />''It will not only boost tourism in the state but also guarantee employment to a large number of people.<br />''<br />''The Kushinagar airport getting international status would also help in developing the Buddhist circuit which includes Kushinagar, Sarnath, Shravasti, Kapilavastu, Kaushmabhi, Sankisa, Lumbini and Bodhgaya and 6 of these spots are in UP.<br />''<br />''Mr Adityanath said that this would also give a major boost to international tourism since Kushinagar is a centre place for these places.<br />''<br />''The Kushinagar airport project is spread across 590 acres of land and about 95 per cent of the work on the project has been completed with an amount of Rs. 190 crore.<br />''<br />''Located at a distance of 50 kilometer from Gorakhpur, Kushinagar is a pilgrimage destination for Buddhists as it is the place where Gautam Buddha gave his last sermon and attained Mahaparinirvana or death.</span><br />