Government Forms Committees to Explore PPP Model for International Airports and Address Employee Management at Nepal Airlines

The government has established a committee to examine the operation of the country's international airports through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. In a recent cabinet meeting, the proposal for forming the study committee was approved by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation. Former Secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari will lead the five-member committee, which includes investment expert Ghanshyam Ojha, Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane (Chief of Aviation Division), Dipendra Shrestha (Deputy-Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal), and Joint-Secretary of the Investment Board of Nepal.

The committee assesses the full-capacity operation and PPP model feasibility for Tribhuvan International Airport, Gautam Buddha International Airport, and Pokhara International Airport. Additionally, a separate committee, headed by former Vice-Chairperson of the National Planning Commission Dipendra Bahadur Chhetri, has been formed to address contract-based employee management at Nepal Airlines Corporation, with a 45-day deadline.

The cabinet has also mandated the Nepali Army to provide land for the expansion of Bharatpur airport in Chitwan and directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to rebuild damaged infrastructure. Furthermore, the decision includes allocating land at Shaktikhor to the Nepali Army for a horse breeding center, with the government bearing associated expenses.