Pokhara International Airport
Pokhara International Airport पोखरा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Government of Nepal | ||||||||||
Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal | ||||||||||
Serves | Pokhara | ||||||||||
Location | Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal | ||||||||||
Opened | 1 January 2023[2][3] | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 2,625 ft / 800 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 28°11′23″N 84°00′54″E / 28.189690°N 84.014893°E | ||||||||||
Website | pia | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Pokhara International Airport (Nepali: पोखरा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल) (IATA: PKR, ICAO: VNPR) is an international airport in Pokhara, Gandaki Province, Nepal. It is located 3 km (1.9 mi) east of the old domestic airport, which it will gradually replace. The airport is Nepal's third international airport and officially began operations on 1 January 2023,[3] with STOL-operations to Jomsom still being operated from the old airport.[4] The airport is expected to handle up to one million passengers per year,[5] but as of 2024[update] there have not been any regular international flights.
History
The idea of constructing an international airport in Pokhara was first proposed in 1971.[6] In 1976, the Government of Nepal acquired land for the project.[7] In 1989, the Japan International Cooperation Agency conducted a feasibility study.[8] However, the project stalled and was only reinstated in 2009 following a new air travel agreement between India and Nepal.[9]
In 2013, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal signed an agreement with China CAMC Engineering for the construction of the airport. Construction began in April 2016 and was expected to be completed after five years in 2021, with an estimated cost of around US$305 million.[5]The Export-Import Bank of China provided approximately US$215 million as a preferential loan to Nepal which included subsidizing part of the loan interest. Additionally, the Asian Development Bank contributed US$37 million in loans and grants while the OPEC Fund for International Development provided a US$11 million loan.[10] The initial bid was nearly double Nepal's original projection, but the cost was later reduced by about 30 percent to US$216 million.[11]
In April 2016, then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone of the airport, aiming to commence operations on 10 July 2021.[12] In 2020, a proposal emerged to open both new international airports of Nepal, Pokhara and Gautam Buddha Airport, on the same day.[13] However, it was revealed in 2020 that the nearby Rithepani Hill, located at the eastern end of the runway, needed to be flattened to facilitate aircraft approach.[14] This decision faced severe protests from locals,[15] delaying the flattening work until late 2022.[16]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, the construction deadline was extended until 2022. In October 2021, officials confirmed that the airport would open in two phases: domestic flights would begin in January 2022, followed by international flights in April 2022.[17]
In 2022, it was announced that calibration flights would begin in October 2022.[18] They would later take place in late November 2022.[19]
In mid-2022, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal pushed back the opening to December 2022 due to a lack of flight inspections.[20] On 8 August 2022, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal set the official opening date for 1 January 2023.[21]
The airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on 1 January 2023. To celebrate the occasion, the city of Pokhara declared the day a public holiday.[22] The first flight to arrive at the airport was a Buddha Air flight carrying the Prime Minister and his delegation.[23]
Development of the airport continued immediately after the opening with an initial lack of customs facilities[24] and a fuel depot — initially, fuel was being carried from the old Pokhara Airport on trucks.[25] The airport was also opened before it was certified for IFR flight, a contributing factor to the crash of Yeti Airlines Flight 691 only one month later.[citation needed]
In June 2023, the airport saw its first international flight before which it only handled domestic services.[26] The first international flight was a Sichuan Airlines flight from China in an Airbus A319.[11] The flight was chartered and funded by China, and the passengers were Chinese athletes and officials who came for a good-will dragon-boat race.[27]
Controversy
In October 2023, the airport's construction was the subject of an investigation by The New York Times. The newspaper found that the airport's construction costs were deliberately inflated; and that was completed without several items that are typically required in building a new airport (such as taking local rainfall and soil conditions into account, which can leave it vulnerable to flooding). One consultant, originally hired to ensure the airport's construction adhered to international standards, estimated that Nepal's lack of oversight over the project led to it being charged at least double the market rate.[11]
Nepal must still repay the loan it took out from China to build the airport, and they may not be able to pay it out of revenue generated by the airport, which has no regularly scheduled international flights as of 2023[update]. As a result, The New York Times noted that the airport may become a debt trap, a problem shared by several other projects completed under China's Belt and Road Initiative.[11] The Times of India compared the airport to Pakistan's Gwadar Port, on which $10 billion in Chinese loans remain outstanding even while investment and activity at the port has stagnated (as of 2023[update]).[28]
In November 2023, Nepal's Commission for the Investigation of Abuse and Authority, an anti-corruption agency, announced that it had opened an investigation into the airport's construction.[29]
Facilities
The airport is built to the category 4D standard, set by the ICAO, IATA, and FAA.[30][importance?]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Map_of_Pokhara_International_Airport.png/947px-Map_of_Pokhara_International_Airport.png)
Apron
The apron of the airport can handle up to three narrowbody aircraft with two aerobridges,[31] while the aprons at the domestic terminal are capable of accommodating up to four ATR-72 or Bombardier Q400 type and four Beechcraft 1900 or de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter type small aircraft.[importance?]
Runway
The airport has a single 2,500 m (8,202 ft 1 in) long runway with a width of 45 metres (147 ft 8 in). It has an east–west orientation with a 330-metre (1,082 ft 8 in) runway strip.[32] The airport has a concrete runway and has the markings of the centerline, edge, touchdown zone, and the threshold. The taxiway (1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) long and 23 metres (75 ft 6 in) wide) is built from the runway central line on the north side parallel to the runway.[32] The airside infrastructure works also includes two 182.5-by-23-metre (598 ft 9 in × 75 ft 6 in) exit taxiways, access roads, and aerodrome pavement.[33] The runway is capable of handling aircraft such as the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.[34] All international landings and takeoffs will be done using the Eastern part of the runway. Domestic flights and landings will use both Eastern and Western sides.[35]
Aids to navigation
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Construction_of_Airport_Building.jpg/220px-Construction_of_Airport_Building.jpg)
The airport features a 2,500-square-metre (27,000 sq ft) Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, operations building and an air navigation unit. There are two non-precision approaches available at the Pokhara Airport; VHF omnidirectional range along a distance measuring equipment (VOR/DME) and Required Area Navigation (RNAV/RNP).[36] The airport is also equipped with a CAT-I ILS system, which includes equipment such as the localizer and the glide path to help aircraft in navigation.[37] The ATC tower also supports Wide area multilateration (WAM) based surveillance system, the first of its kind in Nepal.[38]
High intensity 870 metres (2,854 ft 4 in) extended centerline lights are installed at the southern end of the airport to assist with the approach. It is equipped with advanced communication, navigation, and monitoring equipment and a high-end navigational lighting system.[39]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/A_scene_of_constructing_Pokhara_International_Airport.jpg/220px-A_scene_of_constructing_Pokhara_International_Airport.jpg)
ILS system is said to be operational only after 26 Feb 2023.[40]
Terminals
There are two public terminals at the airport, one for international traffic and one for domestic traffic. The new airport infrastructure includes a 10,000-square-metre (110,000 sq ft) international terminal building with a steel roof as well as a 3,500-square-metre (38,000 sq ft) customs and cargo building.[30] The international terminal can handle up to 610 departing passengers per hour. Two terminals, one domestic and one international, will be able to handle one million passengers annually. The 4,000-square-metre (43,000 sq ft) domestic terminal is located to the western side of the airport.[citation needed]
Aircraft maintenance
Buddha Air plans on constructing a hangar that can accommodate aircraft up to the size of an Airbus A319.[41] The airport will also feature a 6,000-square-metre (65,000 sq ft) domestic and international hangar.[citation needed]
Air routes
Nepal has asked India since 2014 (or earlier) for new air routes, but has not received them. Even though air routes are governed by the Freedoms of the air commercial aviation rights, India and Nepal are both signatories to it but one of India's reasons is that it involves India's security.[42][43][44][45][46] Nepal has also proposed Himalaya 1, 2 and 3 air routes[clarification needed]. These have not been implemented yet.[47][48][importance?]
Airlines and destinations
In 2018, Buddha Air first announced that it was planning to operate its planned international fleet of Boeing or Airbus aircraft out of the airport.[49] In mid-2021, Biman Bangladesh Airlines was the first international carrier to plan to serve the airport upon opening.[50] The first Nepali Airline, Buddha Air, revealed plans in late 2022 to make Varanasi, in the Indian state of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, the first destination from the airport.[51]
The helicopter operators Air Dynasty, Prabhu Helicopter and Simrik Air offer helicopter operations out of their respective hubs at Pokhara International Airport.[citation needed]
Future Destinations
Air Astra, a privately owned Bangladeshi passenger airline based at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, has planned to operate to Pokhara, Nepal four times a week from coming winter schedule 2024, followed by Indian routes.[55][56]
Access
The airport is linked by an access road with the Prithvi Highway. Buses also connect the airport with Pokhara's city centre.[citation needed]
Incidents and accidents
- On 15 January 2023, Yeti Airlines Flight 691 crashed on approach to Pokhara International Airport. The aircraft, an ATR 72-500, was carrying 72 people on board with 68 passengers when it crashed on the bank of the Seti Gandaki River. The airport was closed as authorities launched a rescue operation, but there were no survivors.[57]
See also
References
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- ^ "Nepal: Pokhara International Airport Commences its Operation". News18. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Pokhara takes off". Nepali Times. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Pokharel, Santosh (22 December 2022). "Pokhara's Old Airport to Remain Functional as CAAN Prepares to Launch Int'l Airport". República. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ a b "New Pokhara International Airport". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Archived from the original on 2 January 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
- ^ Prasain, Sangam (20 March 2022). "Technical tests at Pokhara's new airport slated to begin in April". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Economic takeoff". Nepali Times. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ Poudel, Ramesh (4 May 2012). "Finally, a new airport?". Nepali Times. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
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- ^ a b c d Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Sharma, Bhadra; Fu, Claire (16 October 2023). "China Got a Big Contract. Nepal Got Debt and a Pricey Airport". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Pokhara International Airport handed over to Nepal". República. 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Gautam, Santosh (19 November 2020). "Bhairahawa and Pokhara Airport to inaugurate on same day". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
- ^ Pokhrel, Diwas (16 December 2020). "Rithepani hill to cut down for Pokhara International Airport". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ Baral, Krishnamani (21 March 2021). "Cabinet indecision delays Pokhara Airport". Nepali Times. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Pokharel, Santosh (13 October 2022). "'Calibration flight' deferred further due to delay in cutting off Ritthepani hill". República. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
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- ^ "Test flights of Pokhara Regional International Airport in October". Nepal News. 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
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- ^ Prasain, Sangnam (14 July 2022). "Pokhara airport opening delayed again to December". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "पोखरा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल सन् २०२३ जनवरी १ देखि संचालनमा ल्याउने निर्णय" (in Nepali). Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. 8 August 2022. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
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- ^ Prasain, Sangam (2 January 2023). "New Pokhara airport launches amid grim operational outlook". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ^ "Government gives green light to set up customs office at new Pokhara Airport". Online Khabar. 6 January 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ Poudel, Dilip (8 January 2023). "Aviation fuel depot in Pokhara with an investment of Rs 680 million". República. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ "Pokhara Airport to see first international flight". Online Khabar. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ^ "Debt hole: China-built Pokhara international airport may become Nepal's Gwadar Port". The Times of India. 16 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Debt hole: China-built Pokhara international airport may become Nepal's Gwadar Port". The Times of India. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Sharma, Bhadra; Fu, Claire (12 November 2023). "Nepal Is Investigating New Airport Made by China". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ a b Pokharel, Santosh. "'An infrastructure worth taking pride in has been built'". My Republica. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Dixit, Kunda (23 December 2019). "Pokhara: Nepal's new aviation gateway". Nepali Times. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Technical tests at Pokhara's new airport slated to begin in April". The Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Bhatt, Ramesh P. (January 2015). Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of New Pokhara Regional International Airport. Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
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- ^ "Flight Plan 2020 : Airport Construction and Renovation in Full Swing". New Business Age. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
- ^ Parajuli, John Narayan (31 December 2018). "Gandaki's airport bet". The Annapurna Express. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
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- ^ Rai, Pinkey (15 May 2019). "Buddha Air to build hangar in Pokhara". Aviation Nepal. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ Shrestha, Hari Prasad. "Nepal's 2nd Int'l Airport Ready for Opening Amid Air Route Issues with India". My Republica. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Nepal prods India for new air routes". 4 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
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- ^ "Can Nepal become Tourist Hub, despite India's air-blockade?". South Asia Journal. 4 January 2023. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "PM Deuba Requests India to Provide Additional Air Routes". New Business Age. 17 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Implementation of Himalaya 2 Route" (PDF). 4 January 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
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- ^ "Nepal's Buddha Air eyes decision on narrowbody jets in 4Q18". CH-Aviation. 6 February 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "Tourism entrepreneurs seek direct flights from Pokhara to Dhaka to bring in more Bangladeshi tourists". República. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
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- ^ a b c d e "पोखरा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थलबाट नियमित उडान गर्न तीन कम्पनीले स्वीकृति पाए, डेमोको तयारी". Bizmandu (in Nepali). 20 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ "Airlines companies begin preparation to conduct int'l flight from Pokhara int'l airport". República. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
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