Kathmandu: Nepal’s second international airport, Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), will begin its operation in May, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation said.
All international flights can take off and land at the GBIA from May 26, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, Nepal’s Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Ale informed.
For emergency landings, the planes will not have to be either diverted to India or head to the Kathmandu airport once GBIA comes into operation, he added.
The GBIA, which is being prepared for operation, also has minimum standards required for an emergency landing as per the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
An expert team of Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AeroThai) has already arrived in Nepal to prepare for a mechanical test flight (calibration flight) to verify whether the new airport is technically sound or not.
The construction work of the physical infrastructure of the airport has been completed by the Chinese company Northwest Civil Aviation Construction Group.