INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, APRIL 21The second international airport of Nepal - Gautam Buddha International Airport - considered a
national pride project built in Lumbini, formally came into operation today with domestic flights taking off from the new airport.
Nepal's second international airport nearly complete, ready for takeoff: ADB
NAC gears up to restore international flights
The country's first international airport, Tribhuvan International Airport, came into operation 74 years ago.
Yeti
Airlines conducted the first flight from the new airport's 3,000-metre runway.According to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, both narrow
body and wide-body aircraft will conduct flights to and from GBIA.Director General of the CAAN Pradip Adhikari tweeted, "It is my pleasure
to share the historic moment that Gautam Budhha International Airport has come into operation
Thank you all for their contributions.This is a milestone for Nepali civil aviation."Although, domestic airlines have started conducting
flights from the newly-built airport, international flights will commence on May 16 to coincide with Buddha Jayanti.According to CAAN
Spokesperson Chandra Lal Karna, the old runway has been converted into taxiway.He said an agreement had been reached between the CAAN and
Jazeera Air of Kuwait to operate flights from the airport three days a week after international flights come into operation."If all goes
well, Jazeera Air will conduct flights from the airport around midnight on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after Buddha Jayanti,"Karna told
The Himalayan Times.He said the newly-built airport would directly employ roughly around 300 people.Stating that GBIA was constructed to
accommodate parking for aircraft and as an alternative landing zone apart from TIA, CAAN Spokesperson Karna said the airport would also ease
travel and make air commute cheaper.He said an agreement had been reached with the Nepal Airline Corporation to conduct ground handling
Of the total payments collected by NAC, 15 per cent will be given to CAAN, Karna said."Of the total fuel sales collected from GBIA on a
monthly basis, CAAN will receive 0.05 per cent of the earning," he added.In terms of air routes, aircraft will conduct flights from the same
routes used earlier.By doing so, flight times to and from the airport will be reduced, making airfares cheaper for passengers, Karna
stated.The airport can be used as an alternative landing spot in case of emergency situations or if for any reason TIA is unsuitable for
landing, he added.With tourist arrivals increasing in recent days, residents around the airport hope that the COVID-battered tourism
industry would steadily recover."We have been waiting for the completion of the airport for a very long time
With the start of its operation, tourism and other sectors of the region should flourish," Kushal Thapa, a resident of Rupandehi, said.A
version of this article appears in the print on April 22, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com