<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4 pb-3 text-lg-center">History Gautam Buddha International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">The airport was opened as a domestic airport called Bhairahawa Airport providing flights to Kathmandu in 1958 and has since been operated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. In 1985, the airport was one of the targets of the Nepal bombings. In 1977, the airport was renamed Gautam Buddha Airport in honor of Gautam Buddha, who was born in the neighboring village of Lumbini.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Expansion to international airport: </strong>First plans to develop the then domestic airport into Nepal's second international airport were developed in 2013 with the aim of operating the upgraded airport by 2017. It was in in order to relieve the congested Tribhuvan International Airport.The project was financed by a loan and grant aid from the Asian Development Bank. The contract to upgrade the airport was awarded to the Chinese company Northwest Civil Aviation Airport Construction Group in October 2014.</p>
<p class="blog-para">In January 2015, prime minister Sushil Koirala laid the foundation stone of the new airport with the aim of beginning operations at the airport by December 2017. It was planned to have a 3,000 metres (9,843 ft) runway and sixteen international parking bays. In 2017, the upgrade was delayed for more than six months and the deadline for the completion was extended to 2019 due to the 2015 Nepal earthquake and the 2015 Nepal blockade. In July 2019, the project's deadline was extended and the expansion was expected to be completed by December 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal, the opening of the airport was postponed again in July 2020 to March 2021. In June 2021, the opening was again postponed until early 2022, as final tests could not take place during monsoon season.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100 " title="History Gautam Buddha International Airport" src="../../main/img/airport/gau/1.webp" alt="History Gautam Buddha International Airport"></p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4">Facilities Gautam Buddha International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Runway: </strong>The airport has one runway designated 10/28 with an Asphalt concrete (Bituminous Paved) surface measuring 3,000 by 45 meters (9,843 ft &times; 148 ft). It has an east-west orientation with a designation of 10/28 and a 200 meters Runway End Safety Area (RESA) on both side. It features a 1,500-meter x 23 meters&rsquo; parallel taxiway (10-28) used previously for the domestic airplanes.</p>
<p class="blog-para"><strong>Aids to Landing and Navigation: </strong>Advanced navigational aids and airport lighting for safety and navigation is installed. There are two non-precision approach available at the Gautam Buddha Airport; VHF omnidirectional range along a distance measuring equipment (DVOR/DME) and Required Area Navigation (RNAV/RNP). A non-directional (radio) beacon (NDB) is installed at the northern side of the airport. One Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcasting (ADS-B) Sensor has been installed by CAAN at Bhairahawa to extend the surveillance coverage within the local airspace.</p>
<h2 class="blog-hed2 pb-lg-4">Ground Transportation Gautam Buddha International Airport</h2>
<p class="blog-para">As of 2020 it is planned that a system of electric buses will serve Gautam Buddha Airport.</p>
<p><img class="img-fluid p-lg-0 rounded w-100 " title="Facilities Gautam Buddha International Airport" src="../../../main/img/airport/gau/2.webp" alt="Facilities Gautam Buddha International Airport"></p>