(Video provided to People's Daily)
Kathmandu (People’s Daily) - Pokhara has long been a must-see destination for those visiting Nepal. The historical setting plans to offer travelers the opportunity to go paragliding and try other extreme sports. Despite its vast tourism resources, the most troublesome obstacle is getting there as the airport can only handle up to 400,000 arrivals annually, while direct flights to foreign cities remain limited.
Construction on the Pokhara Regional International Airport Project. (Photo: People’s Daily)
Transportation has prevented Nepal’s tourism industry from reaching its full potential. There is only one flight hub, the Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport in the country’s southern region, and safety for domestic flights is worrisome. Given the fierce weather conditions, especially during the rainy seasons, storms and extreme weather often force planes to reroute their destinations and land in neighboring countries.
Construction site of the Pokhara Regional International Airport Project. (Photo: People’s Daily)
Building a new international airport in Pokhara has been a Nepalese dream 40 years in the making. In 1971, aviation authorities introduced a plan to build a new airport. The endeavor was listed as a "National Pride Project.” However, due to inadequate funding, it was delayed for an extended period until the Nepalese government reached out to China’s assistance.
“The project began in April 2017 and completed almost half by the end of September. The remainder will be finished by 2021, and we are devoted finishing ahead of schedule,” said project supervisor Yang Zhigang, and general manager of the No.1 Engineering Department of China CAMC Engineering, in an interview with the People’s Daily.
A graphic image of the Pokhara Regional International Airport Project. (Photo: People’s Daily)
During the construction, the rainy seasons created hurdles between May to October, forcing workers to begin work at 3 am daily.
The airport is the largest China-assisted project in Nepal and will be built into the country’s second international hub and provide an alternate destination for the Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport.
The China-assisted project is also considered an opportunity to bolster local employment in Pokhara and has created roughly 400 new job opportunities, with the number reaching 600 during peak season.
The new runway will be capable of handling medium-sized passenger planes like the Boeing 757 and the Airbus 32, with a projected annual throughput of roughly one million travelers. Without transportation issues hindering visitor travel, paragliding in Pokhara will no longer be a dream but rather a waking reality.