Rajbiraj, January 15

Flights are going to resume at Rajbiraj airport in three months’ time after a long period of disruption.

Air service here has been disrupted for the past eight years for want of fund to upgrade its runway.

Given the ‘precarious’ condition of the runway and lack of other necessary infrastructure, airline companies had expressed their inability to operate their aircraft to and from the airport.

According to Saptari Constituency No. 2 lawmaker Ashok Kumar Mandal, a meeting between the representatives of the Labour and Affiliation International Committee and Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has taken a decision to bring the airport into operation in three months.

“Besides Rajbiraj, the meeting has also decided to resume flights to Baitadi, Doti, Tikapur, Sanfebagar and Meghauli airports by doing necessary homework,” said Mandal, who is also a member of the committee.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of lawmaker Prabhu Sah. It was attended by secretaries and other representatives from other ministries as well.

Rajbiraj airport was inaugurated by then construction and transport minister Ganeshman Singh in 1959.

Ever since, the airport has had a history of erratic services before the flights stopped operating completely about eight years ago.

The airport with a runway stretching up to 1,600 metres is spread over 50 bigaha land.