Kathmandu, November 28

Gautam Buddha International Airport construction project at Bhairahawa has reported 84 per cent work progress.

Preparations have been made to operate the airport by March 2020 and construction work has intensified.

It is said 84.25 per cent of the construction works of the airport has been completed so far and work on the terminal building and installation of technical equipment are being carried out vigorously.

Construction of infrastructures is moving ahead rapidly with the aim of operating this airport in the context of the Visit Nepal Year 2020. The plan is to start commercial flights three months after completing construction of the infrastructure, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the regulatory body.

CAAN has given special priority to this project and assigned responsibility to oversee the construction to one of its high officials.

Spokesperson for Tribhuvan International Airport Pratap Babu Tiwari was transferred to CAAN’s central office for this purpose. Tiwari will make the necessary facilitation for prompt operation of Gautam Buddha Airport as its chief. He will work under CAAN Director General Rajan Pokharel.

Talking to RSS about the latest progress of Gautam Buddha Airport construction project,Tiwari said works related to construction of required infrastructure for operating commercial flights and installing  technical equipment would be expedited. He said it was difficult to operate commercial flights in the stipulated time given present situation.

“Although construction of physical infrastructure has progressed, it takes a long time to instal the communications equipment at the airport. Commercial flights can be operated only in nine months from now,” he said.

However, Prabesh Adhikari, project chief of GBIA, said 84.25 per cent progress has been made in the overall construction of the airport. According to him, the major works at present include completing the terminal building, installation of some equipment in front of the terminal building and work on taxiway and the runway. He said works on these structures are moving ahead at rapid pace.

Stating that works are being carried out in two shifts, he said works on terminal finishing are done in the night shift. The 45-metres wide and 3,000 metres long runway has already been asphalted.

Top CAAN officials have been saying the Gautam Buddha Airport would be ready for operation of commercial flights well within the duration of the Visit Nepal Year 2020 and it would help ease the air traffic at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai, too, has been insisting that special priority be given for operating the Gautam Buddha Airport at the earliest and it will be brought into use for commercial flights with the inauguration of the Visit Year.

Project Chief Adhikari said construction of physical infrastructure and work on installation of  airport equipment would be completed by December, and preparation had been made to bring it into operation towards the end of March.

The airport construction project was inaugurated in the beginning of 2015. The deadline was December 2017, but construction was stalled half-way due to negligence of the construction company. The deadline was later extended by two years. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 7.32 billion.