Nepal looks to India’s approval for inbound flights from the west

Soon Nepal might get India’s approval for inbound flight from the west. The neighbouring country is constructing two airports currently and planning to build another one.

As of now, according to Sanjiv Gautam, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, flights into Nepal from India are over Patna city in the Indian state of Bihar, from the eastern portion of India. India lets outbound flights from western and eastern parts, both.
"We have been in dialogue with the Indian authority and hope to get approval (for the route) this year," said Gautam, and further added that inbound flights from western part will cut down the flying duration.

Reportedly, Nepal is building airport infrastructure to welcome 5 million tourists annually by 2025, more than the present average of 1 million per year. Since, the Kathmandu airport is already choked with too much traffic; it has become imperative for the authorities to expand its infrastructure.

The construction of the Gautam Buddha airport worth $80 million will be completed by the end of 2018 in the southern part of Nepal. Another airport worth $260 million in Pokhara will be built by July 2021 due to the popularity of the place amongst tourists. Plus, a bigger international airport next to the one in Kathmandu is in the pipeline; it would be located at a distance of 70 km from Nepal’s capital.