Pokhara Airport Opens 3.6 Million Liter Aviation Fuel Depot

Pokhara International Airport, which began operations nearly two and a half years ago, now has a newly constructed aviation fuel depot with a capacity of 3.6 million liters. The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) invested around NPR 680 million to build this state-of-the-art facility close to the airport.

According to project chief Pradeep Yadav, the depot consists of three aviation fuel tanks, each holding 1.2 million liters. “The new aviation fuel depot at Pokhara International Airport is complete and will be operational from the second week of August,” Yadav said.

Construction of the depot started in the first week of mid-July 2023 (Nepali date: 2080 Saun). It was built by Nepali contractors in collaboration with an Indian construction firm. “This is the first time NOC’s own investment and domestic expertise have been used to build an aviation fuel depot. It is a proud milestone for the Corporation,” Yadav added.

During the peak season, daily fuel consumption at Pokhara reaches between 18,000 and 22,000 liters. Previously, the old Pokhara airport could only store 64,000 liters. Fuel was transported from the old airport to the new international airport by tankers for refueling operations.

Dr. Chandika Prasad Bhatt, Executive Director of Nepal Oil Corporation, confirmed that the depot meets international standards. “This facility will make it easier to serve both international and domestic flights and provide high-quality aviation fuel reliably,” he said.

Safety has been a major focus, with two water tanks of 1,200 kiloliters each installed for fire prevention and emergency preparedness. The depot complex also includes a pump house, office building, and laboratory. Since aviation fuel is highly sensitive, all necessary infrastructure has been put in place to ensure quality and security. The depot will operate on a fully automated system.

With the full operation of Pokhara International Airport and increasing demand from both domestic and foreign airlines, the new depot will enable Nepal Oil Corporation to supply aviation fuel more efficiently and in greater volumes. The Corporation expects better organization of fuel sales in the future.

At the old airport site, there are four underground tanks, each holding 16 kiloliters of aviation fuel. Due to the distance of approximately 6.5 kilometers between the old domestic airport and the new international airport, fuel has been transported by tankers from the old depot to refuel aircraft at the new location.

Currently, Nepal Oil Corporation has aviation fuel storage capacities as follows: 7,710 kiloliters in Kathmandu, 280 kiloliters in Biratnagar, 56 kiloliters in Bhairahawa, 64 kiloliters in Pokhara, 280 kiloliters in Nepalgunj, 60 kiloliters in Surkhet, and 45 kiloliters in Dhangadhi. The Corporation operates fuel depots at major airports including Tribhuvan International, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Jhapa Bhadrapur, Bhairahawa, Surkhet, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi, Simara, and Janakpur. Temporary refueling arrangements are also available at Simara and Manthali airports. For airports with high flight frequency, aviation fuel is sometimes supplied by tanker trucks.

However, several airports including Dang, Dolpa, Jumla, Bhojpur, Bajura, Khotang, Manang, Solukhumbu, Ramechhap, Rukum, Okhaldhunga, Rara, Mugu, Humla, Taplejung, and others still lack aviation fuel depots. At these airports, aircraft must carry enough fuel from their origin to complete their return flights. Nepal Oil Corporation has noted that the Civil Aviation Authority’s cooperation is crucial to establish aviation fuel depots at these airports in the future.