Bharatpur Airport to be upgraded to State-level

Kathmandu - The Bharatpur Airport would be expanded and upgraded into State-level Airport. It was mentioned in the budget for the new fiscal year presented by Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada on May 28. To expand the Airport having only around 1200 metre runway currently of which only 900 metre could be used, the government would acquire the land occupied by the Nepal Army barrack nearby the Airport and a horse breeding centre.

The physical infrastructures encroaching upon the airport land or posing risk to flight safety would be shifted elsewhere for the expansion so that bigger aircrafts with high capacity could be operated at the airport. Civil Aviation of Nepal Bharatpur Chief Pawan Kumar Gautam shared that the Airport here would be expanded. The upgraded Airport would feature separate terminal building, storage facility for fuel and refilling for aircrafts among others. The existing Airport stretching over the area of 63 bigha would be expanded to 72 bigha.

The runway would be expanded to 450 metre more in the existing 1,200 metre, informed Gautam. Bharatpur Metropolitan City Mayor Renu Dahal said that works relating to expansion of Bharatpur Airport had been forwarded. “After all the stakeholders were positive on the expansion of the Airport, the works relating to it have been picking a pace,” she said. Other domestic airports based in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bhairahawa and Nijgadh are around 150 kilo metres way from Bharatpur Airport. Currently, flights to and from Kathmandu and Pokhara have been in operation from this Airport.