"AN airport, the first for the Chin State in western Myanmar, is expected to start operations in June this year. The Surbung airport in Falam will provide access to the Chin state which is presently only accessible by road, according to The Irrawaddy. Chin State Chief Minister Salai Lian Luai said the northern part of the state is gradually attracting more visitors, local and foreigners, but transportation remains desirable. This was why the government plans to make the state more accessible and targets to open the airport by mid-year, he said. The new link will also enable local residents to travel to other parts of the country more easily, Lian Luai said, adding that the construction of the airport is reportedly now 75 per cent complete. The airport is being built on a 522-hectare plot in Falam. It will have a 1,830-meter-long and 30-meter-wide runway designed to handle takeoffs and touchdowns of ART-72 airliners. The government allocated 37 billion kyat (RM103 million) to complete the airport, Lian Luai added. The project was proposed in 2013 and construction began in 2015. The airport is situated in the Surbung mountain range at an altitude of 1,830m above sea level. “In the Chin State, the rainy season is longer and hot and cold seasons are shorter, so we need to be careful about clouds and fog in the rainy season. "Similarly, we need to be careful about smoke from slash-and-burn farming in the hot season, so we have to purchase equipment to help the planes see through them. That’s why there are delays,” Lian Luai said..."