Biratnagar, January 4:

The Biratnagar branch of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) will extend the airport runway here. The extension of the runway will be carried out to enable aircraft with 100-seat capacity to land easily. Biratnagar CAAN chief Yogendra Raut said the planning about extending the runway had begun and that the extension will be carried out within the next fiscal year. The idea of extending the runway was mooted after big jets had difficulty landing at the airport here.

CAAN sources said the 5000-feet runway will be extended to 8000 feet. The runway is in a dilapidated state and needs repair at several places.

No repair work has been carried out for the past 20 years. Earlier, the airport had a problem of parking space for planes.

Now that the parking space has been arranged, five planes can land at the airport at a time. The Biratnagar airport fetches revenue to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore. Air traffic from and to this airport is heavy, according to the CAAN sources.