Chandragadhi Airport (VNCG), one of the busiest domestic airports in the Eastern part of the country is expected to feature night flight operation from the beginning of the year 2019. Necessary preparations are underway for introducing night flight operation at the airport.
VOR/DME equipment is being installed at the airport along with the installation of runway lights. Chandragadhi Airport Chief informed that the runway lights will be installed by December 2018 and then the night flights will begin.
Sanjeev Gautam, Director General of CAAN already informed that the airport will be equipped with necessary infrastructures to initiate night flights from 1st January 2019.
The certification to conduct night flight at the Chandragadhi Airport has already been awarded along with the necessary procedural designs. At present, only TIA, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, Simara, Biratnagar and Dhangadhi airports operate night flights which have the capacity to accommodate ATR-72 model planes except in Simara.
RNAV (Area Navigation) GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) Instrument Approach Procedure has also been established at Chandragadhi Airport to enhance the safety and efficiency of the aircraft operations and materialize the National PBN Implementation Plan of Nepal.
Along with Chandragadhi Airport, Janakpur Airport will also conduct night flights from January 2019. Likewise, Simara Airport is expected to initiate night operation from September 16, 2018. Successful test flight for night operation was conducted 4 years ago at this airport located at Bara.
Major domestic airline companies have started conducting two dozen night flights daily from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with aim of reducing congestion at the country’s only international airport. TIA will receive more relief after the night operation of Chandragadhi, Janakpur and Simara Airport.
