Nepal inaugurates international airport built with Chinese help

Kathmandu:

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ on Sunday inaugurated a regional international airport built with Chinese assistance in the tourism hub of Pokhara in western Nepal.

Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’ unveiled a plaque to mark the official inauguration of the Pokhara Regional International Airport (Priya). Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel and other top leaders were also present on the occasion.

International flights are expected to start after the second week of February.

PRIA, a flagship project of Nepal-China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation, was constructed with Chinese loan assistance.

The government had signed a $215.96 million soft loan agreement with China in March 2016 for the construction of a new airport in the lake city.

Speaking on the occasion, Pushp Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ said that air connectivity is the most effective means of connectivity for a landlocked country like Nepal.

“The airport at Pokhara has become operational from today as the third international airport in the country,” he said. “With the opening of this airport, Pokhara’s connection with the international sector has been established.”

The Prime Minister also requested the Chinese government to facilitate the opening of border crossings with China and assist in the construction of railway services and other projects.

He said, I have become the Prime Minister after getting elected from Gandaki province, the people here have given me the opportunity to serve as the Prime Minister for the third time, for which I want to thank them.

He said that under his leadership, the government will work with the basic mantra of social justice, good governance and prosperity of the people.

“Earlier I played a leading role in establishing a democratic republic, now I will take the country forward by promoting economic growth, prosperity and good governance,” he said.

Chinese Embassy Charge d’Affaires Wang Xin said that the airport has been designed and built according to Chinese standards, reflects the high quality of Chinese engineering, and is a symbol of Nepal’s national honour.

The Chinese envoy said, “Pokhra International Airport has been highly valued by the leaders of China and Nepal. The new airport will become a vivid exercise and a powerful witness to working together to achieve common development and prosperity.”

He said the arrival of Chinese tourists would greatly contribute to Nepal’s tourism sector as the country embarked on the ‘Tourism Decade 2023-2033’. “Under the guidance of the two heads of state, we will jointly build the Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, and bring fruitful results to the BRI cooperation,” he said.

“Export of Nepali products to China was resumed with the resumption of two-way trade at Kerung/Rasuwagadi border port. Two-way trade at Pulan/Yari port will be reopened in early 2023,” he said. Said,” and adding “Nepali products will be exported to China.”

“The expert team has recently arrived in Nepal for the feasibility study and survey of the China-Nepal cross-border railway, which is an important step in the construction of this ‘Sky Road’. Nepal’s dream of becoming one of the ‘land-locked countries'” The ‘country connected to the land’ will finally come true.”

Meanwhile, the chief minister of Gandaki province, Krishna Chandra Pokharel, urged the Chinese government to convert the loan provided for the Pokhara airport construction project into a grant.

“I urge the Chinese government through the Chinese Embassy here to convert 75 per cent of the total loan into a grant,” he said.

He said the airport should serve passengers from South Asia in the first phase and then passengers from western countries in the second phase.

Pokhrel hoped that with the operationalization of the international airport, there would be a significant increase in the number of tourists in the city.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)