No more airports just for votes, says UML leader Bhattarai
Speaking at Thursday's meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee, Bhattarai emphasized that building airports under political pressure has become a trend and should be discouraged.
KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Secretary and Member of Parliament Yogesh Bhattarai has said that new airports should no longer be built just to increase any leader’s vote count.
Speaking at Thursday’s meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee, Bhattarai emphasized that building airports under political pressure has become a trend and should be discouraged.
The meeting focused on discussions with lawmakers regarding the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Bill, 2081.
During the discussion, Bhattarai highlighted that while Nepal has 55 airports, only 32 are currently in operation.
He argued that instead of adding more airports, the existing ones should be better managed and expanded.
He stressed that Nijgadh International Airport should be the only airport prioritized moving forward.
Bhattarai further noted that Nepal’s aviation history began in 1949, and since then, there have been 108 air accidents claiming 959 lives.
He called for a strong legal framework to prevent future aviation disasters.
