Entrance to Phaplu airport unusable

KATHMANDU, Dec 30: The main entrance at Phaplu Airport in Solukhumbu, built at the expense of crores of rupees, has become unusable. The main gate and entrance to the airport, which was built at a cost of 87.8 million by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), has not been used for years. The entrance was built in 2077 BS.

As the entrance road is not usable, the passengers are forced to use the narrow road. Due to the lack of operation of different routes made for entering and exiting the airport, passengers are forced to use the narrow route to enter the office of the tower staff and security personnel.

It is said that since the alternative route is very narrow, if the urgent patient has to be taken to the runway, it is also difficult to get a stretcher to enter. Also, it is difficult if large materials have to be brought in or taken out at the airport.
 
Bhanu bhakta Acharya, head of CAAN,Phaplu, said that the operation was not carried out because there was no gavage mesh in the part of the wall about five meters before the entrance of the gate.

According to him, the runway can be operated only after repair as there are technical problems even in the steps of the upper part of the runway. He said that he has already written to the central office of the CAAN.

Engineer Ratna Bahadur Shrestha, project chief of the CAAN, claimed that there is no problem in operating the gate. Stating that the new gate has not been used for years, there may be a problem for the passengers as well as there may be a challenge in security.