Civil Aviation Airport Project and Airport Master Plan

Asian Development Bank

Kathmandu, Nepal

LEAPP was appointed by the Asian Development Bank to carry out a Project Preparation Technical Assistance study to review and update both the Kathmandu/Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) air traffic forecast and the airport's Infrastructure Development Plan. Based on a revised air traffic forecast, the project involved inspection of the TIA airport in the context of compliance with ICAO Annex 14 Standards and recommended practices, and development of a plan to correct noted deficiencies on site and in the original Master Plan. A new Master Plan was developed for the airport to add necessary airside improvements, such as Runway End Safety Areas and expanded aprons for aircraft parking, and to provide for renovation of the existing international passenger terminal and construction of a new domestic passenger terminal building. Additional capacity for public car parking, road access and utility services was also proposed as part of the new Airport Master Plan.

A 3-phased development programme for the airport and expansion of its infrastructure was identified for the period 2010 to 2023, with priorities assigned. Highest priority for improvement, known as Phase 1A, was assigned to providing additional airside facilities to comply with ICAO SARPs and relocation of hangars to the east side of the airport property to create space for a rapidly expanding fleet of domestic aircraft.

As part of the project, LEAPP was tasked with determining the requirements, and designing facility improvements for three remote domestic airports. Two of these, at Simikot and Rara, are located in NW Nepal in an area inaccessible by road and located above 10,000ft ASL. LEAPP prepared development plans for these remote airports which involved grading and paving the runways, construction of new paved aircraft parking aprons, construction of passenger terminal buildings and Control Towers and provision of runway lighting. The third airport included in the programme was Lukla in NE Nepal for which it was concluded that compliance with ICAO SARPS could not be achieved by to the mountainous location of the airport. Improvements to the runway approach guidance lighting were proposed for implementation under the Phase 1A programme to be funded by ADB. LEAPP's role in the project also included preparation of the documentation required by ADB for approval of a loan to Nepal for the Phase 1A works.