-SAPTARI
Refurbishment works at the Eastern airport in Saptari District; Rajbiraj Airport has been completed after a long time. Rajbiraj Airport, which has been out of operation for almost three decades due to poor condition of the runway had prepared to resume its services after Buddha Air aircraft conducts the test flight to the airport on May 3rd, but due to failure to conduct its test flight on-time the airport stills remains closed.
Project Coordinator for Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Ramekwal Mahato , stated that the Buddha Air aircraft was anticipated to conduct the test flight on May 3, 2018 but the CAAN has not granted the airline operator to conduct the test flight to evaluate the operational capacity of the upgraded Airport infrastructure.
He added that, Shree Airlines had planned to conduct the test flight on May 16, 2018 to the airport using its Bombardier CRJ aircraft but this plan had also failed following the delayed granting the permission from CAAN.
The Rajbiraj Airport is situated at approximately 3km south of Bishnupur Rural Municipality from the district headquarters. The 1,500-metre-long and 30-metre-wide runway has been built with asphalt surface. Likewise, the 90-metre-long and 60-metre-wide apron and 110-metre-long and 20-metre-wide taxiway has been blacktopped.
The airport was inaugurated in 1959 A.D. by NC leader Late Ganeshman Singh but it has already been around four years that the airport is out of the operation. Previously, the airport used to conduct Lamidanda-Rajbiraj and Phaplu-Rajbiraj flights. After the completion, Rajbiraj Airport will conduct flights in Kathmandu- Rajbiraj and Rajbiraj-Biratnagar route.
On October 2016, the CAAN awarded project to Raman Kanchha Ram Dev and Sayar JV Construction Company for the renovation and construction of the airport and the project was supposed to be accomplished in December 15, 2017 but the work was delayed due to flood, dense fog, and other reasons. As the company failed to complete the project by the stipulated time, the project was given an extra five months to finish. The total cost for the project was Rs303 million.
