An all-party meeting at the District Administration Office of Solukhumbu on Friday allowed the Civil Aviation Authority Nepal (CAAN) to close Phaplu airport for almost one year from March 7.[break]
Earlier, CAAN had sought consent of all the political parties to close Phaplu airport for upgradation. Deputy Director of the CAAN Dhruba Das Bhojimaya, , who was also present at the all-party meeting, assured the locals that upgrading of Phaplu airport would be completed by February, 2013.
As part of upgradation, CAAN will blacktop a 675-meter runaway. CAAN has already awarded the contract for blacktopping the runway, which is expected to cost over Rs 60 million. As of now, Phaplu-bound planes have been landing on a graveled runaway.
With the closure of Phaplu Airport, people living in the district headquarters and the southern belt of Solukhumbu will have to use Kangal airport, which is a five-hour-walk from Phaplu.
Nepal Airlines and Tara Airlines, which have been operating flights to and from Phaplu, will increase the numbers of flight from Kangel till Phaplu Airport comes into operation, according to the CAAN.
More than 50 people, including tourists, take off or land in Phaplu airport every day. Even some of those tourists who want to climb the world´s highest mountain go to the base camp of Mount Everest through Phaplu.
Phaplu is Solukhumbu´s second major airport after Namche. Although most of the tourists wanting to reach the base camp of Mount Everest land in Namche, some prefer to land in Phaplu and trek all the way to the base camp.
Although the all-party meeting agreed to close Phaplu Airport even at the cost of forcing locals to walk up to Kangel for catching flights, political parties doubt if the upgradation work would complete on time.
Aangelu Sherpa, President of Solukhumbu chapter of Nepali Congress (NC), asked CAAN not to delay upgradation works. Similarly, Mahesh Kiranti of the UCPN (Maoist) drew CAAN´s attention to its previous projects that have remained incomplete for years. "Phaplu airport should be reopened on time," said Kiranti.
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