At a time when Nepal-India relations soured following Nepal’s decision to withdraw from BIMSTEC military exercise, the Government of India has instructed the Airport Authority of India (AAI) to give their full support to Nepal on building the new hangers for the Aircraft and upgrading the older ones at the Kathmandu Airport. They further said that now the Nepalese airlines will also get the excess of the new routes to enter into India.

According to The Indian Tribune, the decision took place because of China’s rising influence in the Himalayan country. “Airport Authority of India (AAI) has already started working on it and also asked for the detailed project report from the Nepalese side. We have been asked to immediately clear these requirements and the ministry has already started the process of working on them,” the statement was given by one of the aviation ministry officials.

The Indian Tribune reports that the Indian embassy has sent the request in Nepal and also the request of allowing Nepalese airline, Buddha Air, to be given the new routes to enter into India. Chairmen of Airport Authority of India (AAI) Guruprasad Mohapatra did not give any statement on the matter.

This is not the first attempt by the AAI to enter the airport sector in Nepal. Earlier also AAI has tried to put the efforts but couldn’t make up as one of the airport project bid by the AAI near Kathmandu failed due to some irrupted questions on the feasibility of the project. The main concern of the Indian Government is China’s growing influence in Nepal. Recently Nepal refused India by not sending their soldiers for the first Bimstec (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) anti-terror military exercise which is being held from September 10 to 16 in Pune.

The Indian Tribune reports that Nepal, however, settled to send its soldiers to China for an anti-terror exercise. According to the sources, The Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli, who is extensively in support of China, took the decision because of the pressure from various quarters, as well as his party.

The Official of aviation ministry said that the request of allowing Indian Carrier to share the feed with Nepalese airline has not yet approved by the Nepal Government.