KATHMANDU, April 2
Government officials have concluded that the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) cannot be upgraded as all possibilities of its expansion have been exhausted. They were previously stating that TIA will be upgraded as it was in course of improvement but they have now reached the conclusion that it cannot be managed better, improved and expanded without constructing another airport.
A two-week discussion among the top officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), TIA Reform Project and Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has reached to the conclusion that constructing a second international airport is the best alternative. They have concluded that though the capacity of TIA can be expanded a bit, comprehensive upgradation of the runway is impossible. Secretary from the ministry Sushil Ghimire, Joint Secretary Purna Chandra Bhattarai, CAAN Director General Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, project chief Punya Raj Shakya, TIA chief Rishikesh Sharma and others had taken part in the discussion. They plan to submit the formal report to the government and publish it a week later. The recommendation to immediately start construction of the second international airport to be constructed in Nijgadh, Bara will be given top priority in the report. They have concluded that qualitative upgradation of TIA can be done only after the second airport in Nijgadh comes into operation. They will also recommend to expedite the process of constructing regional international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara. The government has currently initiated the process of constructing the regional airport in Bhairahawa and has listed Nijgadh and Pokhara airports as the projects of national pride. While the regional airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara are to be constructed with one-way runways, that in Nijgadh will have a two-way runway and provide modern facilities. Though South Korean company Landmark has already submitted the detailed project report (DPR) of the Nijgadh airport, construction has yet to start.
Runway can crumble even this year
The ministry has meanwhile instructed the TIA Office to remain alert warning that the runway, that has been crumbling repeatedly in the past three years, can again break. But it will not be possible to reconstruct the runway as the airport has to be closed to do so. Flights were halted four times within two weeks last year when the runway crumbled. Around 400-450 flights take off or land at the airport daily during the tourist season while it is around 250 during the off-season. Twenty-seven international and 14 domestic airline companies are currently operating flights from TIA.
A Dakota registered in India started flights to Patna, Kolkata and New Delhi of India a year after a single-engine plane landed for the first time at Gaucharan in 1949. Flights to Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Simara and Biratnagar were started from Kathmandu in 1952. The airport was named Tribhuvan in 1955 and TIA in 1964.
Aviation agreements beyond capacity
The government has been regularly signing long-term aviation agreements with other countries but it is set to create problems if another international airport is not constructed soon. The government has already signed agreements with 36 countries to operate 30,932 flights a year. The government officials do not know how to manage things if all the countries to sign agreement were to wish to operate flights to Nepal. “All the problems will be solved after constructing another international airport and improving infrastructures,” is their routine answer. The government has not been able to sign big aviation agreements due to lack of capacity of TIA. Only nine international planes can be parked at TIA now and service cannot be provided to more than 1,200 passengers at a time. TIA opens at six in the morning and closes at midnight and around five dozen international and 200-300 domestic flights operate daily. Expansion of runway after four decades
The runway at TIA is being expanded for the first time in over four decades as CAAN is adding 600 meters of runway. CAAN stated that the runway will be expanded 300 meters each on both the northern and southern ends. It will be extended till Koteshwore in the south and Guheshwori in the north. The runway will be 3,650 meters long after expansion.
Government officials have concluded that the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) cannot be upgraded as all possibilities of its expansion have been exhausted. They were previously stating that TIA will be upgraded as it was in course of improvement but they have now reached the conclusion that it cannot be managed better, improved and expanded without constructing another airport.
A two-week discussion among the top officials of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), TIA Reform Project and Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has reached to the conclusion that constructing a second international airport is the best alternative. They have concluded that though the capacity of TIA can be expanded a bit, comprehensive upgradation of the runway is impossible. Secretary from the ministry Sushil Ghimire, Joint Secretary Purna Chandra Bhattarai, CAAN Director General Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, project chief Punya Raj Shakya, TIA chief Rishikesh Sharma and others had taken part in the discussion. They plan to submit the formal report to the government and publish it a week later. The recommendation to immediately start construction of the second international airport to be constructed in Nijgadh, Bara will be given top priority in the report. They have concluded that qualitative upgradation of TIA can be done only after the second airport in Nijgadh comes into operation. They will also recommend to expedite the process of constructing regional international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara. The government has currently initiated the process of constructing the regional airport in Bhairahawa and has listed Nijgadh and Pokhara airports as the projects of national pride. While the regional airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara are to be constructed with one-way runways, that in Nijgadh will have a two-way runway and provide modern facilities. Though South Korean company Landmark has already submitted the detailed project report (DPR) of the Nijgadh airport, construction has yet to start.
Runway can crumble even this year
The ministry has meanwhile instructed the TIA Office to remain alert warning that the runway, that has been crumbling repeatedly in the past three years, can again break. But it will not be possible to reconstruct the runway as the airport has to be closed to do so. Flights were halted four times within two weeks last year when the runway crumbled. Around 400-450 flights take off or land at the airport daily during the tourist season while it is around 250 during the off-season. Twenty-seven international and 14 domestic airline companies are currently operating flights from TIA.
A Dakota registered in India started flights to Patna, Kolkata and New Delhi of India a year after a single-engine plane landed for the first time at Gaucharan in 1949. Flights to Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Simara and Biratnagar were started from Kathmandu in 1952. The airport was named Tribhuvan in 1955 and TIA in 1964.
Aviation agreements beyond capacity
The government has been regularly signing long-term aviation agreements with other countries but it is set to create problems if another international airport is not constructed soon. The government has already signed agreements with 36 countries to operate 30,932 flights a year. The government officials do not know how to manage things if all the countries to sign agreement were to wish to operate flights to Nepal. “All the problems will be solved after constructing another international airport and improving infrastructures,” is their routine answer. The government has not been able to sign big aviation agreements due to lack of capacity of TIA. Only nine international planes can be parked at TIA now and service cannot be provided to more than 1,200 passengers at a time. TIA opens at six in the morning and closes at midnight and around five dozen international and 200-300 domestic flights operate daily. Expansion of runway after four decades
The runway at TIA is being expanded for the first time in over four decades as CAAN is adding 600 meters of runway. CAAN stated that the runway will be expanded 300 meters each on both the northern and southern ends. It will be extended till Koteshwore in the south and Guheshwori in the north. The runway will be 3,650 meters long after expansion.
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