Ministry of Environment has approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of Nigadh International Airport in Bara on Thursday.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari confirmed the approval via a tweet. Minister Adhikari said the approval has cleared path for the construction of the airport.

निजगढ अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल आयोजनाको वातावरणीय प्रभाव मूल्याकंन स्वीकृत भएको छ । जसले गर्दा अब निर्माणको काम अगाडि बढाउने बाटो खुलेको छ ।

— Rabindra Adhikari (@RabindraADH) May 24, 2018

The planned construction site lies amid dense forest and will be spread over 8,000 hectares.

More than 2.4 million small and large trees will have to be cut down to build the much talked about modern international airport. Nearly 90 percent of the project area is covered by Shorea robusta trees, also known as Sal or Sakhua. The market value of the lumber stands at over Rs65 billion, which, officials said, will pay for half of the construction cost.

Nijgadh airport, located 175 kilometres south of Kathmandu, is expected to be the biggest airport in South Asia in terms of area. However, in the first phase, the airport will have only one runway and be spread over 1,000 to 2,000 hectares. The infrastructure will be expanded gradually based on need, the report said.