Yes — you can smoke in the open air outside the small terminal building at Gangtok Pakyong Airport (PYG), away from doorways and other travellers. There is no indoor or airside smoking room.

Pakyong is a greenfield hill airport about 31 km from Gangtok, Sikkim, sitting on a carved ridge at roughly 4,600 ft — one of the highest airfields in India. It has a single small domestic terminal rated for about 100 passengers. Scheduled commercial flights remain suspended: services stopped in October 2022, a brief SpiceJet Delhi link in 2023 was discontinued, and runway/expansion work is ongoing with no confirmed reopening date — check current schedules before you fly. Most travellers instead use Bagdogra (IXB) and drive up to Gangtok. As a small domestic airport, Pakyong has no enclosed smoking lounge and no airside (post-security) smoking zone.

Where to smoke

  • In the open air outside the terminal, away from entrances and other people.
  • There is nowhere to smoke once you pass security, so step out beforehand.

Smoking inside the enclosed terminal is banned under India’s COTPA law; fines apply for smoking in non-designated spots.

For India airport smoking rules, the PECA vape ban, lighter-machine instructions, and other rules, see our India smoking guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I smoke inside Gangtok Pakyong Airport (PYG)?

Step outside the terminal building to smoke — Pakyong is a small domestic hill airport with no indoor smoking room.

Is there a smoking zone after security at Gangtok Pakyong Airport (PYG)?

Smoke outside the terminal before security — the terminal is small (rated for about 100 passengers), with no airside smoking zone.

Are flights operating from Pakyong Airport?

Scheduled commercial flights remain suspended, with runway and expansion work ongoing and no confirmed reopening date — check current schedules before you travel. Most travellers currently fly to Bagdogra (IXB) and drive to Gangtok.

Can I vape at Gangtok Pakyong Airport (PYG)?

Conventional cigarettes are fine outside the terminal — e-cigarettes and vaping devices are banned across India under the PECA 2019 law, so do not carry or use them at any Indian airport as they may be confiscated.