January 1 opening of Pokhara airport, insiders say, is a flight of fancy

There are many environmental, technical and social issues that need to be addressed before flights can be cleared, which may take months.

Airplane pilots have found out about bird hazards in Pokhara the hard way. Once in the mid-1990s, a Nepal Airlines Twin Otter had just taken off for Jomsom when a big bird slammed into the windshield, shattering the glass and splattering blood all over the cockpit.