Nepal to build international airport near Buddha`s birthplace

Kathmandu: Nepal on Thursday said it plans to build an international airport near Lord Buddha`s birthplace in Lumbini, a town close to the Indo-Nepal border, under a Chinese-backed USD 3 billion project modelled on Mecca.

A tender has been issued to invite bidders to construct Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa near the Indo-Nepal border by 2017, Nepalese tourism secretary Sushil Ghimire said here. Under the project, Nepal plans to build a "special development zone" to transform the town of Lumbini into a sprawling tourism, pilgrimage and education centre modelled on Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The USD 3 billion plan is backed by the Chinese government. The new airport will serve as an alternative to the country`s only international airport, Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu, Ghimire said. The Tribhuvan International Airport`s runway recently developed some cracks, resulting in the cancellation several flights. The cracks were attributed to the excessive number of flights being operated from the airport. The government plans to complete the new airport by June, 2017, he said.