KATHMANDU, April 17: The newly-constructed Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) is set to see the start of domestic flights to and from the airport on the new runway from April 21. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has started preparations to start operations of the airport under the directive of Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Prem Bahadur Ale Magar. 

Similarly, stating that the number of cases of COVID-19 infections has dropped to a minimum, Minister Ale directed CAAN to operate the airports round to clock, citing the decreased risk from the virus.

According to Director-General Pradeep Kumar Adhikari of CAAN, preparations are underway to shut the old 500 meter long runway at GBIA and start landing and takeoffs of flights from the newly-built 3,000 meter runway. 

According to him, five airline companies including Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, Shree Airlines, Guna Airlines and Saurya Airlines will start domestic flights on the airport’s new runway. He also said that the operation of international flights to and from the airport will start from the day of Buddha Jayanti on May 16.

Similarly, the construction of Pokhara International Airport has been almost completed and work has started to operate international flights from the upcoming Dashain festival.

Furthermore, Director General Adhikari shared that the work to relocate the nearby landfill site in Pokhara and leveling a hill at Rittepani is yet to be completed. 

“We will start the work to cut the hill in the next 15-20 days with a goal to complete it within two months,” Adhikari shared.

 
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