Minister Paudel Orders Feasibility Studies for Tarigaun and Rara Airport Expansion

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Khadak Raj Paudel has directed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to begin technical and feasibility studies for the development of Tarigaun Airport in Dang and the expansion of Rara Airport in Mugu. The instruction came during a meeting with CAAN officials at the ministry on Thursday, after Paudel recently inspected both airports.

Studies to assess development and expansion

The directive asks CAAN to initiate the groundwork needed to assess development at Tarigaun and expansion at Rara. Technical and feasibility studies are an early step in determining what can be done at an airport and whether proposed work is practical. Their findings can help identify the requirements and constraints that would need to be considered before plans move towards implementation.

The two airports are being considered for distinct forms of work: development at Tarigaun and expansion at Rara. By directing the aviation authority to study both, Paudel has placed the next stage of assessment with the agency responsible for the country’s civil aviation sector. The instruction, however, is to begin studies; it does not itself amount to a decision that construction or expansion work has been approved.

The studies are significant because decisions about airport infrastructure require technical assessment as well as consideration of feasibility. The findings can provide a basis for officials to judge what kind of work may be suitable at each site. Until those assessments are carried out, the directive marks the start of an evaluation process rather than a confirmed construction programme.

Directive follows minister’s airport inspections

Paudel’s order followed his recent visits to Tarigaun Airport and Rara Airport. The meeting with CAAN officials at the ministry on Thursday came after those inspections, connecting the minister’s review of the two facilities with a request for further technical work. The reported instruction focuses on moving from inspection to formal study of possible development and expansion.

Tarigaun Airport is in Dang, while Rara Airport is in Mugu. The directive places airports in the two districts on the same agenda for assessment, while distinguishing the proposed focus at each location. At Tarigaun, CAAN has been asked to study development; at Rara, it has been asked to examine expansion. The available details do not specify the physical works that either study will recommend.

The next stage will depend on the technical and feasibility assessments directed by the minister. Those studies are intended to provide a clearer basis for considering the airports’ development needs, but the instruction alone does not establish the scope, cost or timing of any future work. For now, Paudel has asked CAAN to begin examining the possibilities at both airports following his inspections.