We anticipate a big boost to tourism with more airlines expected to start direct flights to the airport
Nepal's second international airport, the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), has come into operation at Bhairahawa from Sunday, coinciding with the 2566th birth anniversary of the Buddha.
On the occasion, an Airbus 320 aircraft belonging to Jazeera Airways flew directly from Kuwait with 50 passengers, making it the first airline to start commercial flights to the newly-constructed airport. The narrow-body aircraft carrying 50 passengers touched down on the 3,000-metre runway at 7 in the morning on Sunday, marking a new era in Nepal's aviation history.
Later on Sunday, an Airbus 320 of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) also conducted its inaugural flight from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa. Nepal's second international airport has come into operation 71 years after the country's maiden international airport in Kathmandu – Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) – opened to flights from India. Built at a cost of US$ 76 million, the Asian Development Bank had contributed 37 million and the OPEC Fund for International Development about 11 million, with the Nepal government chipping in the rest. A third international airport at Pokhara is also in its final stages of starting international services anytime soon.
There are high expectations from the GBIA, located as it is in the vicinity of Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha. Entrepreneurs and locals anticipate abig boost to tourism with more airlines expected to start direct flights to the airport. Although Lumbini is located in Nepal, it has so far failed to attract large numbers of pilgrims from Buddhist-dominant countries. Lumbini has remained no more than an extension of the Indian Buddhist Circuit package, with visitors slippingin through the border to spend only a few hours at the Buddha's birthplace. However, things could be changing now, with Buddhist religious tourists able to land directly at Bhairahawa without first having to disembark in Kathmandu. The GBIA will also help connect Lumbini to the Buddhist Circuit in India, namely, Bodh Gaya in Bihar where he attained enlightenment, Sarnath in Benares where he gave his first sermon, and Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh where he died and attained Mahaparinirvana.
Apart from promoting tourism, the GBIA is expected to expand trade and economic activities, generate local employment opportunities and address the air traffic congestion at the TIA. Migrant workers now too have the option to fly from or to Bhairahawa, allowing them to skip Nepal's sole international airport in Kathmandu until recently. On April 28 this year, a wide-body aircraft of NAC successfully landed at the GBIA, which means large commercial aircraft and cargo can be operated from there. Also international flights will no longer have to be diverted to other countries in the event of bad weather or technical problems. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), a plane requires a visibility of 11 kilometres to land in Kathmandu, but a visibility of six kilometres will do for the GBIA. The GBIA holds much promise for Nepal's overall development, but it is up to the authorities and the entrepreneurs to plan their operations and businesses properly so as to make the most of the airport.
MoUs with India
During the maiden visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, on the occasion of the 2566th Buddha Jayanti, Nepal and India reached six Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) in the presence of Modi and Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. The MoUs are mainly related to cooperation and collaboration in the academic field and power sector. The MoUs include, among others, the Letter of Agreement between KU and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) for a joint degree programme at the Masters' level at KU Campus.
Another important MoU includes the development and implementation of the 490.2 MW semi-reservoir Arun-4 Hydroelectric Project, which will be developed jointly by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Sutlej Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd. with the former holding a share of 49 per cent and the later 51 per cent. Nepal will receive 21.9 per cent of free energy following the development of the project, whose cost estimate hovers at around Rs 79.12 billion. Its installed capacity could reach up to 695 MW when its detailed project report is finalised. Although this project will be developed for exporting to India, Nepal will also have the right to buy its energy, if need be.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 18, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
