Time To Take Off

Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), Nepal's second international airport situated in Bhairahawa, is lying idle in terms of the flights it was meant to serve, for almost a year and a half. The airport is running without any international flights, except for a brief operation by Jazeera Air and Himalayan Airlines since its inauguration two years ago. The local businesses were hopeful that with the operation of the international airport in the country's south, the inflow of tourists especially religious tourists coming to visit Lumbini, would increase significantly. The high hopes were that it would significantly transform the economy of Lumbini Province and western sector of the country. Most importantly, India should give permission to use its airspace for flights destined for GBIA located 8 km away from Nepal-India border. As Nepal has been denied using the Indian sky, the international aircrafts have been forced to fly to Simara to start landing on the Gautam Buddha airport, which not only consumes time but also more fuel.