The Nation · Megaproject · Aviation
Pokhara Regional International Airport
पोखरा क्षेत्रीय अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल
USD 215.96M Chinese loan. Built. Opened. China still does not fly there.
Original cost
USD 215.96M
as of 2016
Current cost
USD 215.96M
0% overrun
Approved
2016-03
Deadline 2021-07
Delivered
2023-01-01
2 years late
How we got here
Financed via a 2016 Export-Import Bank of China loan and built by CAMC Engineering, Pokhara International opened on 1 January 2023, two years late. As of mid-2026 the airport runs almost no scheduled international flights — China itself has refused to designate it an international point of entry for Chinese carriers, citing airspace and approach concerns. Nepal services the loan on an asset that has not generated the international traffic projected at financing.
The short version
Nepal borrowed USD 215.96 million from China to build an international airport in Pokhara. It opened in 2023. China will not fly planes there. Nepal still pays back the loan.
Who paid for it
Export-Import Bank of China
bilateral
USD 215.96 million
25% interest-free; 75% at 2% interest; 20-year term with 7-year grace period
Who built it
CAMC Engineering Co Ltd
China · EPC contractor
2016–2022
completed
Implementing authority: Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)
Timeline
2014
Project approved by Government of Nepal
2016-03
Loan agreement signed with Export-Import Bank of China
Source: MoF
2016-07
CAMC Engineering breaks ground
2021-07
Original target completion — missed
2023-01-01
Airport officially opens
Source: CAAN
2023-05
Reports surface that Chinese carriers will not designate Pokhara as international entry point
2024
First Chinese international charter (Sichuan Airlines) operates — not scheduled service
Source: CAAN
Delivered
Airport built, runway and terminal operational, domestic flights running.
Failed to deliver
Scheduled international traffic — particularly Chinese — has not materialised. Loan repayment continues on an underutilised asset.
Sources · cited verbatim
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal — Pokhara Regional International Airport — Project Profile
Open release checked 2024-11-20Ministry of Finance — Public Debt Management Office — Quarterly Public Debt Bulletin
Open release checked 2025-01-15Export-Import Bank of China — Loan agreement summary (cited via MoF debt bulletins)
Open release checked 2016-03-21
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