Delays plague Gautam Buddha Airport project

The upgradation of Bhairahawa’s Gautam Buddha Airport to an international airport will be delayed by at least six months as work has been disrupted by shortages of fuel and building materials due to the Tarai banda that has gone on for months. The project was due for completion in December 2017.

If the situation does not improve soon, the completion date may be pushed back even further, project officials said.

On January 15, the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala had laid the foundation stone of the long-planned airport upgradation project.

Bhairahawa in south central Nepal is the gateway to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, which attracts pilgrims from across the world. Expanding the airport has been seen as being key to boosting religious tourism in the country.

However, the airport project has been plagued by misfortunes since the start. Three months after construction began, the country was rocked by a massive earthquake on April 25.

Although, the Tarai belt was not affected by the tremor, the project came to a halt for one and a half months as terrified workers refused to return to work.

Then from mid-August, violent protests have been erupting continuously in the Tarai districts, which has brought the airport project to a near standstill.

Om Prakash Sharma, chief of the project, said that the project completion deadline could be extended further if the situation did not improve. “However, we have options to make up for the delay if things become better,” he said, adding that the October-May period was crucial for any construction work.

According to government officials, half of the project site lies in sensitive areas where protest activity is high. Besides, the project has to bring construction materials from 90 km away. “We are facing difficulties in transporting materials due to the protests and fuel problems.”

The project is set to table a proposal at the Cabinet demanding security and a regular supply of construction materials so that work is not hampered any more, he said. Currently, an international terminal building is being built.

On November 13, 2013, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) had awarded the contract to upgrade the airport to China’s Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group.

Of the $90.6 million project cost, the civil works component is valued at Rs6.30 billion. The planned airport will have a 3,000-metre runway and a capacity to serve 760,000 passengers annually after the completion of the first phase of upgradation.

The Asian Development Bank has provided $58.50 million ($42.75 in loans and $15.75 million in grants), the Opec Fund for International Development (OFID) will give a $15 million loan and Caan will bear the rest of the cost as counterpart funding.

During the second phase of development which will commence after 10 years, the airport is projected to handle up to 2 million passengers. After the airport is complete, it will be able to handle up to 6 million passengers annually. The airport will have six international parking bays.

Gautam Buddha Airport Upgrading Component was actually a five-year project (2010-15) under the South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project - Nepal. But it became a non-starter for lack of funding.

The importance of the improvement plan lies in the airport’s being the front door to Lumbini which has been rapidly gaining popularity as an international pilgrimage, but suffers from poor access which has hindered further growth.