GBIA Project Expedites with Target of Conducting First Flight on Sept. 2019

The Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) is expected to come into operation soon; its first flight is estimated to air on 27th September 2019.

The Details:

• The locals had started a strike at the project site raising the issue of distribution of compensation to landowners for the land acquisition process. The strike recently ended after the issue was addressed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
• The CAA has released 2 billion rupees in project accounts to be distributed to the landowners. According to them, a further 3 billion will also be distributed soon.
• According to Om Sharma, Chief Engineer, the construction of administrative buildings, control towers, and international terminal buildings has reached the last phase. He also informed that the construction work related to the runway can be completed in the next two weeks, after which blacktopping can be done.

The Backstory:

• The construction work for the airport started back in 2015 and the initial deadline for the project was 2017. However, due to the shortages of fuel and building materials and disputed between the Chinese contractor and Nepali sub-contractor, the deadline was extended to 2018, which has now been extended to 2019.

Go Deeper:

• Gautam Buddha International Airport to Come Into Operation After 18 Months
• Doubts Over Completion of Gautam Buddha International Airport