Kathmandu, Jan. 16 -- Biratnagar airport in south-eastern Nepal is getting a Rs15-billion facelift that will add a new terminal and nearly double the length of the existing runway to upgrade to an international facility.

Construction work on the 7,000-square-metre terminal, which is estimated to cost Rs4 billion, is slated to begin this year.

Chief of Biratnagar airport Utsav Kharel said that as per the master plan, the 1,500-metre runway will be lengthened to 2,500 metres, enabling it to handle narrow-body jets like the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.

"But we will acquire enough land to enable us to extend the runway to 3,000 metres at a future date."

On November 12, the cabinet granted permission to the Civil Aviation Authority of N...