Govt agencies' delay hits int'l airport upgradation
KATHMANDU:
With an increase in air traffic, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) — with the an assistance of Asian Development Bank (ADB) — had been planning to upgrade infrastructure of the only international airport since long but project could not take off as was planned.
“We have started the first phase of the master plan on Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) upgradation,” director general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Ram Prasad Neupane said, adding that a Japanese Design Consultant is currently doing the preliminary study.
“We are going through the first phase of our master plan,” said general manager of Tribhuwan International Airport Ratish Chandra Lal Suman.
CAAN had prepared a master plan 2010-2028 for the upgradation of TIA. “But due to some problem Phase I A (2010-12) of the master plan started late and will end late, though it was supposed to be finished by 2012,” he said.
ADB had under its Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project approved $70 million in 2009 for Tribhuwan International Airport’s airfield side infrastructure reconfiguration and upgradation to international safety standards, including provision or construction of about 1,400 meters of new main taxiways and link taxiways, runway end safety area and extension, runway approach lights, an instrument landing system localiser, an uninterrupted power supply system for essential airfield and security area lights, air traffic communication (ATC) equipment, additional international and domestic aircraft parking apron area, and upgradation of rescue and fire fighting system.
According to him, the Phase I A plan includes run way extension, apron extension, lightening system enhancement, terminal building, baggage collection built modification, and ATC automation.”Among them, ATC equipment automation system is key,” Suman said, adding that they are also more focused on runway safety margin extension and risk fire fighting enhancement and surveillance enhancement.
The total project cost for the first phase was estimated to be at $60 million in the earlier study but according to revised cost, it has been estimated to cost $128.9 million.
“Increment in the cost has also created some problem in implementing the project,” he said, adding, “due to the increment in the project cost, we are bound to set priority list among the plans and hold another round of talks.
“Among the different construction plans of Phase I, extension of North Runway and construction of new Apron cost a lion’s share of total project cost,” he informed.
“To construct the north runway, it takes 500 truck loads of soil daily. But yet the site to get soil and place to unload could not be identified delaying the project,” he added.
Tribhuwan International Airport — situated 5.56 km east of Kathmandu city — which was designed to handle 1,300 passengers per hour, now sometimes has to process over 2,000 passengers.
According to the Tribhuwan International Airport, it has currently no more landing time to give permission to the new airlines forcing it to make round the clock operational. Currently, it is operational for 18 hours a day but with increasing air traffic, Tribhuwan International Airport is also preparing to operate for 24 hours.
Source: THT
