NEPAL: On Sunday, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda inaugurated Nepal’s third international airport in Pokhara, a popular tourist destination in western Nepal. China assisted Nepal in the construction of the airport.
Pokhara’s international airport is a symbol of Nepal-China cooperation
A week after he was named prime minister, Prachanda unveiled a plaque to commemorate the official opening of the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA).
The construction of PRIA and an important Nepal-China Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) collaboration project used Chinese loans.
Bishnu Paudel, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, and other high-ranking officials were also in attendance.
International flights at Pokhara’s international airport will begin after the second week of February. In March 2016, the government of Lake City agreed to a USD 215.96 million soft loan agreement with China for building the new airport.
In his remarks at the event, Prachanda, who is supposedly close to China, emphasized that aerial connectivity is the most efficient method of connectivity for a landlocked nation like Nepal.
Prachanda announced the commencement of the airport in Pokhara, the third international airport in the country. He felt that the opening of this airport had established Pokhara’s relationship with the international community.
In addition, the Prime Minister requested assistance from the Chinese government to develop railway services and other projects and facilitate the opening of border crossings with China.
According to Wang Xin, the Charge de Affaires of the Chinese Embassy, the airport was built and designed per Chinese standards, which exemplifies the high quality of Chinese engineering and symbolizes Nepal’s national honour.
In the meantime, Krishna Chandra Pokharel, Chief Minister of Gandaki Province, pleaded with the Chinese government to convert the loan it provided for the Pokhara airport construction project into grants.
Pokharel expressed the hope that the international airport would significantly boost the number of tourists visiting the town.
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