Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines are conducting a demonstration flight today at Pokhara International Airport, which has been completed and is ready for operation.
Gautam Baral, head of Buddha Air Pokhara, informed us that Buddha Air has prepared for a demonstration flight at 2 pm. Buddha Air spokesperson Dipendra Karna said that the ATR72 would take off from the old airport and land at the new airport for a demo flight.
Yeti Airlines also said that it would fly at the same time. Ram Lamichhane, the head of Yeti Air Pokhara, said that a demonstration flight had been prepared so that the aircraft with a capacity of 70 seats would land from the old airport to the new one. Pokhara International Airport is preparing to operate from January 1, the first day of the English New Year 2023.
Bikram Gautam, head of Pokhara International Airport, said necessary preparations are being made for the airport operation. It has been said that office management has reached its final stage, starting with giving the necessary training to the employees.
After 46 years of acquisition of land to build, the foundation stone of Pokhara International Airport was laid on April 13, 2016, with the government to complete it by July 10, 2021. Due to Corona, the import of goods was affected, and there was a shortage of workers, so the deadline was extended by one year.
The airport’s construction has been completed 5 years since construction started. The Chinese construction company said that due to the Corona epidemic, the construction was delayed.
The airport construction started after an agreement was signed between the Civil Aviation Authority and China CAMC Engineering.
There was criticism at that time that the airport was handed over without completion of construction. The airport was built with China’s subsidized loan of about 22 billion. In 2032, for the first time, land acquisition for the construction of Pokhara International Airport began.
The airport has been built on the 4D model within the standards of the International Aviation Organization (ICAO). It is said that aircraft like Boeing 757 and Airbus 320 can take off and land at this airport.
