Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), a national pride project has attained 50 per cent physical progress. Likewise, 70 per cent physical progress for the parking Area has been accomplished and remaining 30 percent will be completed within the next month. The airport is expected to conduct first flight on 27th September 2019.

According to Om Sharma, Chief Engineer, within next 15 days, the works related to runway can be completed and then the blacktopping will be initiated. He also informed that construction of administrative buildings, control towers, international terminal buildings, also reached the last phase.

Recently, locals have suspended their two days long strike at GBIA project site. Locals had protested against the authority by setting up tents in runway site which is being constructed for delay in distribution of compensation for land acquisition process. The movement had been suspended in the agreement to smoothen the distribution process. Civil Aviation Authority has released 2 billion rupees in projects account to be distributed to land owners. Remaining 3 billion is set to be released soon.

The project was awarded to China’s Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group in November 2013 for Rs. 6.22 arba and was expected to be completed by end of 2017 but due to shortages of fuel and building materials and due to the months-long Terai closure in 2015 delayed the works by six months along with dispute between the Chinese contractor and the Nepali sub-contractor, Northwest Infra Nepal, and its operation deadline was revised to June 2018 and now to 2019.

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