China assists Nepal build a 2nd international airport

Updated: August 23, 2017 Source: Belt and Road Portal
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China is assisting in the construction of an international airport near Nepal's second largest city, Pokhara – the largest China-backed project in the country.

The airport was planned more than 40 years ago, and since then there has been a patch of land covering a 2 million square meter area in the suburb of the city reserved for the airport.

"Were there a few more such large projects Nepal would have a new look," said Yang Zhigang, representative of the China CAMC Engineering Co Ltd.'s branch in Nepal.

The airport will be constructed according to the 4D standards, and it will have a 2,500-meter long airstrip and be able to handle the Boeing 737.

Pokhara is in a valley 200 kilometers to the west of Katmandu, and can only be accessed by regional jets through its small and old airport. Air safety is a primary concern for many foreign travelers to the city.

The new airport, the second international airport in the country, will cost about 1.5 billion yuan ($225 million) and be completed in about four years.

Local people think the new airport will effectively boost tourism development and help the country's economy recover from the earth quake in April 2015.

By the end of last year, China's accumulated investment in Nepal hit $355 million, making it the second-largest investor in the country.

Editor: zhangjunmian