Construction work on the expansion of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu has been halted due to a disruption in the supply of specialized crushed stone required for the project. The pause comes amid an ongoing dispute between aggregate suppliers and Godawari Municipality in Lalitpur district concerning the enforcement of a court order, which has prevented construction materials from leaving local quarries.

Dipendra Shrestha, director of the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project under the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, confirmed that work on two critical airport infrastructure components—the northern uniform taxiway and the international apron—has stopped. Contractors are unable to access the high-grade aggregate necessary for blacktopping and concrete paving, which are essential parts of these facilities. According to Shrestha, while nearly 90 percent of the expansion has been finished, the shortage of construction materials now threatens to delay the completion schedule and increase project costs.

The aggregate used for airport pavements differs markedly from that required for ordinary roads. Shrestha explained that airport surfaces must withstand the load of aircraft weighing between 200 and 300 tonnes, requiring exceptionally hard and high-quality crushed stone. Currently, the necessary materials meeting these specifications are available only in quarries located within Godawari Municipality. Three crusher plants—Birendra Maharjan Stone Quarry, Nirakar Roda-Dhunga Industry, and Machhindra Multipurpose Crusher Quarry Industry along with Bahubali Construction Pvt Ltd—have been the primary suppliers to the project. However, all deliveries from these companies have now ceased.

Birendra Maharjan, owner of one of the quarries, said his company filed a contempt of court petition at Lalitpur District Court after the municipality failed to comply with an order from the Patan High Court. He alleged that municipal police were stationed near quarry areas, effectively blocking transportation. Godawari Mayor Gajendra Maharjan denied these claims, stating the municipality is not responsible for the disruption and that the issue remains subject to legal processes.

The Patan High Court issued a writ of mandamus in December 2025, directing Godawari Municipality to collect taxes according to prevailing law and facilitate the transportation of stockpiled construction materials for the airport project. The court noted that prior years saw regular issuance of transportation permits after tax collection, but the municipality’s failure to initiate legal tax processes had obstructed operations impacting the national project. Despite this ruling, the municipality has said it is awaiting reports from relevant government agencies to verify quarry boundaries before taking further action.

Supplier Madhusudan Dotel attributes the dispute to political conflicts within Godawari Municipality. He claims that quarry registration, licensing, and royalty payments were previously managed smoothly by the District Development Committee before authority shifted to local governments under Nepal’s federal system. He also mentioned that the municipality alleges substantial overdue payments from crusher operators, adding that the issue has been politicized following involvement by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority.

The Tribhuvan International Airport expansion comprises three major endeavors: an international apron and taxiway project valued at approximately Rs7 billion, a new hangar area costing around Rs4 billion, and a parallel taxiway estimated at Rs4 billion. These developments, initially slated for completion within 2026, aim to increase the airport’s annual passenger handling capacity to close to 10 million. At peak construction, roughly 300 tipper trucks made about 900 trips nightly to deliver materials. With aggregate supplies now blocked, key segments of the expansion are at a standstill, posing a risk to timely project delivery.