Aerothai got permission for calibration flight at Pokhara International Airport

KATHMANDU, Nov 15: Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has given permission to Aerothai for calibration flight at Pokhara International Airport.

CAAN said that permission has been given for the operation of mechanical test flight 'Calibration Flight' from November 13 to December 5. The same company conducted a mechanical test flight on February 6 last year at Gautam Buddha International Airport located in Bhairawa, Rupandehi, which is the second international airport in the country.

Commercial operation has been announced at Pokhara Airport from January 1, 2023 . Vinesh Munakarmi, head of the airport construction project, said that the physical infrastructure and technical work of Pokhara Airport, which is a project of national pride, has been completed.

CAAN said that all the necessary procedures for mechanical flight have been completed. The aircraft will conduct a mechanical flight to check the functioning of communication, navigation and surveillance equipment at the airport. It has been reported that Aero Thai's aircraft will fly mechanically to Pokhara Airport for a week. The company's aircraft will also fly mechanically to other airports in the country.

CAAN says that the construction of this airport, spread over an area of about 3,900 ropani, will cost about 22 billion. The airport currently has a runway of 2,500 meters and a width of 45 meters and the thickness of the runway is 34 centimeters. An ATC tower, seven buildings, and a hangar have also been constructed.

Despite the target of completion in June 2021, the completion of construction was delayed for some time due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The entire construction work of Pokhara International Airport has been completed and the airport was built by CAMC, a Chinese state-owned contractor.

According to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), it is said that flights of Boeing 757 and Airbus 320 or similar aircraft will land at Pokhara Airport, which falls under the '4D model'. The airport will be able to serve 800,000 passengers annually. The airport can park 11 planes consisting of three narrowbodies, four ATRs and four twin-overs.