Check out Ar. Prabidhi Dixits article on the Gautam Buddha Airport published in Praxis: The Great White Hope Gautam Buddha International Airport Ar. Prabidhi Dixit Nepals hovering economic crisis could possibly strengthen with well-planned business strategies. To enrich the economy, to promote the tourism and to facilitate national and international passengers, CAAN (Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal) has come forward with a relevant business plan to build an international airport and to upgrade the existing terminal in Bhairawa. After completion of the project, the Bhairawa airport will be known as Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) which is few kilometres away from Budhhas birth place. According to a survey of tourist movement in Nepal, 20% of the total tourists visiting Nepal, directly heads towards Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. With this data as reason, and with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) granting a loan of US$33 Million to the Government of Nepal for South Asian Tourism Infrastructure Development, CAAN has avidly initiated the project. The total cost of this project is estimated to be US$97.21 million and is expected to complete by June, 2017. The GBIA project is designed by Yooshin Engineering Corporation Korea in association with the Nepalese firms BDA Nepal, ERMC and NESS. The design entails multi layers (vertical) space planning; the base layer covers plant areas such as mechanical, electrical, HVAC and maintenance utilities. It is expected that the energy loss could be minimized because the route distance such as water, cooled air, etc., which is shorter than having plants in a separate building. The layer above it regulates passengers and their movement from arrival to departure. The flow is high here than in any other layers; thus, the area here has increased by 50 percent, as it also incorporates the Emergency Operation Centre, Security Backup Centre and various other requisite centres. The final layer comprises of airport operation offices and CIP- VIP lounges. The spatial planning of the international terminal building is segregated into three zones: departure, green precincts and arrival zone. The design intercalates green precincts between arrival and departure zone that runs along plan from South to North. The precincts comprises of Lord Budhhas statue in a pond that is placed between the greenery. This segmentation not only has a decent straightforward passenger flow, but also provides calming visuals for both departing-arriving passengers. The airstrip of the GBIA falls in the same category as the TIA and is designed under ICAO standards of category 4E that implies that any aircraft up to a 65 metre wide wing span would be able to land in GBIA. In the initial phase, the airport capacity will be 408,482 passengers per year, as the master plan has proposed 9,560 sq. m (24sq.m per peak hour passenger) for the International Passenger Terminal Building. But the total capacity of the airport is designed for 10, 00,000 passengers per year. Year Aircraft Movements Passengers Dom. Int’l Total Dom. Int’l Total Annual 7,149 2,469 9,618 144,538 408,482 553,020 Peak hour 8.06 2.41 - 163 399 - Table- The Forecasted Passenger Traffic for phase I, 2020. With the modular designs, supple future expansion, on–phase, wise-up gradation, there is a provision for future module to be installed in eastside of the International Terminal Building. Apparently, GBIA will be expected to implement an integrated ICT and advanced airport management system. When GBIA will operate, it perhaps takes a leap in international market, by spreading the wings much wider. With tremendous anticipations, CAAN is at the forefront in international airline business.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 10:42:39 +0000
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