Butwal, March 5
Officials of the under construction Gautam Buddha International Airport, Nepal’s second international airport, in Bhairahawa of Rupandehi district have said that the airport will be ready for test flights before October this year.
However, they inform that the commercial operation can begin only after around one year.
Chief Engineer of the project, Prabesh Adikari, inform that most structures of the airport have been constructed by now; and everything will be finalised in next four months.
The project has set a target to conduct the test flight by September.
“Our objective is to begin its operation within 2020 as Nepal is marking the Visit Nepal Year that year,” Adhikari says, “In fact, we are trying to complete the construction works before that; but it seems unlikely.”
Then prime minister Sushil Koirala had laid foundation stone for the project around four years ago. The government had set the deadline of December 2017 for the project then.
By now, the deadline has been revised twice citing various obstructions including political protests, border blockade and shortage of construction materials.
The Asian Development Bank is assisting the government for the project.
A domestic airport is in operation there for past 61 years.
