KANKREBIHAR (SURKHET), March 4: Stakeholders have raised the demand for securing funds to expand three airports in the Karnali and Lumbini Provinces. The Surkhet and Jumla airports in Karnali Province, as well as the Dang Tarigaun airport in Lumbini Province, are seeking funding for their expansion.
The Ministry of Federal Affairs, Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has proposed an additional budget allocation to the Ministry of Finance for the expansion of these three airports. According to the ministry's branch head, Prakash Pokhrel, the proposal requests the Ministry of Finance to secure the necessary funds for the expansion.
The Cabinet meeting held on February 27 decided to secure the necessary funds for land acquisition in the expansion of three airports, as recommended by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. For Dang Tarigaun Airport, the estimated land acquisition cost is Rs 5 billion, with a budget allocation of Rs 10 million and a demand to secure Rs 990 million in funds.
For Surkhet Airport, the estimated cost for land acquisition is Rs 10 billion, with Rs 100 million allocated and a demand to secure Rs 4.90 billion in funds, according to the ministry's branch head, Pokhrel.
Preparations underway for expansion of Surkhet Airport
Pokhrel also stated that for Jumla Airport, the estimated cost for land acquisition is Rs 1 billion, with Rs 100 million allocated and a demand to secure Rs 400 million in funds.
In 2075 BS, the then Chief Minister of Karnali, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, pushed forward an ambitious plan for the provincial government to operate its airline service. The provincial government launched a plan to start air services under the name "Karnali Airlines" for domestic and inter-provincial flights, but the plan has since become obsolete.
During Shahi's tenure, the provincial government announced plans to build an international airport in Surkhet and a "high-altitude" airport in Mugu. A Chinese company, Northwest, conducted a detailed feasibility study for both airports free of charge and submitted the report to the provincial government.
Currently, only four daily flights operate between Surkhet and Kathmandu. Flights to Upper Karnali have ceased. In 2020, officials initiated a plan to expand Surkhet Airport by extending the runway to 1,500 meters and adding facilities for nighttime flights.
In the last week of 2020, a meeting chaired by the then Chief Minister Shahi decided to proceed with developing the airport as an "approach light" facility with a long-term vision.
The estimated cost for expanding and upgrading the airport was around Rs 2 billion. In the first phase, the provincial government allocated Rs 500 million, and the federal government allocated Rs 510 million. On October 1, 2020, the federal and provincial governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the expansion. However, when the expansion work did not proceed, the Rs 1.01 billion allocated by both governments was frozen.
In the fiscal year 2021/22, the government allocated Rs 1.50 billion, but the work still did not progress. When the runway expansion began, around 923 households and schools in Wards 10, 11, and 12 of Birendranagar Municipality were affected. Locals formed a protest committee and opposed the project, leading to its suspension.
The Civil Aviation Authority has begun acquiring 183.80 ropanis of land to expand the runway and build a new terminal at Jumla Airport, located in the district headquarters, Khalanga Bazaar. The Jumla Civil Aviation Office has started the additional procedures for land acquisition.
Currently, Jumla Airport has a runway that is 670 meters long and 20 meters wide. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has allocated the budget for the expansion and has instructed the district's aviation office to coordinate the necessary activities. The budget will cover the expansion of the runway, the construction of an aircraft parking area (apron), and the creation of a path from the apron to the aircraft, among other structures.
