lumbini international airport

A tender has been issued to invite bidders to construct Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa near the Indo-Nepal border by 2017, Nepalese tourism secretary Sushil Ghimire said here. Under the project, Nepal plans to build a "special development zone" to transform the town of Lumbini into a sprawling tourism, pilgrimage and education centre modelled on Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The USD 3 billion plan is backed by the Chinese government.
The new airport will serve as an alternative to the country`s only international airport, Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu, Ghimire said.