Nepal: a letter of intent (LoI) to finalise the construction modality of Nijgadh International Airport.

A meeting held among the top officials of Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) and Ministry of Finance (MoF) yesterday have jointly decided to seek a letter of intent (LoI) to finalise the construction modality of Nijgadh International Airport.

The LoI notice will call upon interested domestic and international firms to submit construction modalities of the planned second international airport in Nepal.

According to Devkota, Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada, Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari, secretary and high-level officials of MoF, Investment Board Nepal, National Planning Commission, CAAN, and Nepal Airlines Corporation had participated in the meeting, in which various aspects of the project were discussed to dispel any confusion related to it.

Earlier, the government had handed over the responsibility to secure the construction site of the airport to Nepali Army.

On May 25, Ministry of Forests and Environment had approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of Nijgadh International Airport, which was then forwarded to the MoCTCA.

According to the EIA report, the government plans to cut down 2.4 million trees to build the much-talked-about international airport.

On May 11, MoF had suggested the MoCTCA to build the Nijgadh International Airport in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

Source: The Himalayan Times

Nepal: development of 3 new airports

Keeping in view the ‘Visit Nepal Year 2020’ campaign, the Government of Nepal is planning a wide range of tourism promotion and related developmental activities across the country.

Besides, the government is also looking at ways to expedite the reconstruction of quake-hit heritage sites, promotion of religious sites and home stays, among others.

With regard to improving air connectivity for tourists, the government is looking forward for the development of new airports across the country with at least one major airport in each province.

Some of the new airports include: Pokhara regional & international airport with in duration of three years, Nijgadh international airport in Bara and Gautam Buddha Airport in a year, among others.

Besides, the government is keen on enhancement of the existing airports.

To ease the traffic at the Tribhuvan International Airport, the government has already increased the airport’s operational time to 21 hours in a day from May 21, 2018.

The new  Pokhara airport It is likely to be completed by July 2021.

The airport will have separate international and domestic terminals, four boarding rooms and other modern facilities. It can handle medium size jet flights such as Boeing 757 and Airbus 320 on its runway, which would be 2,500 meters long and 45 meters wide.

Source: Nepali Sansar