EXPANSION OF TIA AT SNAIL’S PACE

KEDAR DAHAL

KATHMANDU, Aug 16

Passengers are suffering as the only international airport in the country is becoming narrower. The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will have to bear the pressure of all international passengers for at least a decade due to delay in start of construction of the second international airport.

The government has put expansion of the TIA on top priority due to that. But expansion of the TIA, started after four decades of its construction, is moving forward at a snail’s pace. Expansion has to be completed by April, 2016 as per the plan but just 14 percent of the work has been completed until now even though 80 percent should have been completed by now. SanJose Constructora of Spain has received the contract for expansion of the runway.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had given contract to expand the runway by 600 meters and also the parking area one and half years ago. But there has been no progress in work due to delay by the contractor. This is set to delay expansion and affect passengers using the airport. CAAN is asking for expansion of the runway by 300 meters on both the north and south sides toward Guheswhowri and Koteshwore respectively. The runway is currently 3,050 meters long and 50 meters wide.

The contractor should have used 1,200 tippers every day to carry soil to complete expansion within two years but just 100 are being used now. The Development Committee of the parliament last week had done field observation of the runway. “It will not be completed even in 10 years if the contractor were to continue in the current pace,” Chairman of the committee lawmaker Rabindra Adhikari said. He added that just 400,000 cubic meters of soil has been carried in one and half years even as 1.90 million cubic meters is required for expansion of the runway and parking area. “Technicians are currently advising that it is wrong to fill soil and big pillars should instead be built,” he stated.

Expansion of the runway and parking area is being done as per the airport reform master plan with assistance of US$ 100 million (over Rs 10 billion) from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The runway was to be completed by the end of 2015, as per the master plan for 2010-2028 worth US$ 600 million. The first stage of upgradation should be completed by the end of 2015. Four stages were planned for upgradation of the airport.

Stakeholders say upgradation should be stopped from the second stage due to reasons including delay and inability to bear pressure of passengers even after completion of the first stage. “Progress of the project has been sluggish with the contractor not working. The contractor had brought soil from the Pashupati area at first but there was no work for a long time after the issue was taken to the court resulting in delay,” chief of the civil aviation capacity building project Baburam Poudel said. The contractor had brought soil from Pashupati even though the project had advised to bring it from three places.

Risk of termination of contract

Chances of the Spanish contractor terminating the contract have also been increased due to the delay. The first stage of upgradation was scheduled to be completed in 2013. The deadline was then extended to 2015 and then to 2016. But government officials concede that it will not be completed by 2016 at the current pace. Chairman Adhikari said the contractor can even quit as it is under intense pressure. Project chief Poudel said three warning letters have already been issued to the contractor after it failed to complete work in time. “Decision to terminate the contract can also be taken if we again have to write another letter,” he added.

The TIA will be expanded to ensure that it can cater to 2.90 million domestic passengers and 6.30 international ones per year by 2028 as per the master plan. Extension of the runway by 300 meters, construction of domestic and international terminals, apron, and modern equipment will be installed by 2023. “Domestic terminal will be shifted to the place where there is international terminal now, and parking area for international airplanes will be constructed at the current site of domestic terminal,” Poudel revealed.