The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) has earmarked Rs1 billion to implement the much-delayed $28-million runway rehabilitation project at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). 

Caan spokesperson Birendra Prasad Shrestha said that the budget to renovate the 3,050-metre aged runway had been allocated under the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project this fiscal year. 

“In the last fiscal year, the budget had been allocated under the heading of TIA spending,” he said. The scheme has been at a standstill since March. “The project is expected to move ahead after languishing in limbo for months.”

Murari Bhandari, chief of the runway rehabilitation project, said that the Caan board had allowed the project to invite prequalified bidders to submit financial proposals.

However, Bhandari said that they were confused about the budget allocation. “As we need a budget to invite prequalified bidders to submit financial proposals to implement the project, we are not sure where the budget has been allocated,” he said.  

Project officials might have been confused as the budget has been allocated under the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project this fiscal year, said Shrestha. “There has been a small misunderstanding, but it will be resolved.”  Last March, the project prequalified four firms following the completion of their technical evaluation.

The prequalified companies are China National Aero Technology International Engineering Corporation, China Harbor Engineering, Beijing Changdao Municipal Engineering Group and a Nepali-Chinese JV consisting of China Railway No 5 Engineering Group and Swachchhanda Nirman Sewa. 

The runway renovation project has been bogged down by problems. It was further delayed by a dispute that arose after Tourism Minister Jitendra Narayan Dev unsuccessfully tried to remove Caan’s chief Sanjiv Gautam from his post.

TIA’s aged runway has suffered frequent damage, forcing authorities to declare the airport out of bounds for heavy jets. For the last five years, TIA has been forbidding aircraft weighing more than 196 tonnes to land on its tattered runway to prevent further damage.

The old runway has been affecting smooth operation of aircraft due to repeated occurrences of cracks in the pavement.

A study conducted by Caan in 2014 had concluded that the runway at TIA was not strong enough to handle wide body jets due to its ageing asphalt foundation, and distress is caused to the upper surface instantly when heavy planes land on it.

Repeated occurrences of cracks on the runway have been affecting smooth operation of aircraft since 2011. According to the project, milling machines will be used to remove the pavement to rehabilitate the runway. The design was prepared in 2014, but the project decided to review it after the earthquake of April 2015.

TIA said the airport would have to be shut down from 12 midnight to 6 am daily to carry out the runway rehabilitation works.

The contractor will be given a year’s time to make preparations. The company will be required to have all its logistics in place before it is allowed on the runway, the project said. According to officials, extensive planning is needed because there are many reasons that could lead to delays. The contractor should have twice the amount of materials and equipment required.

Considering all these requirements and preparations, on-ground work has been targeted to begin after the monsoon in 2018.

Caan will dip into the Airport Development Fund (ADF) to finance the project. Since July 2014, Caan has been collecting an extra Rs1,000 in airport development tax from each passenger departing on international flights from TIA.