The project was scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. However, the project officials are seeking yet another deadline to complete the project. Now, the international airport being constructed with the financial support of the Asian Development Bank is expected to be ready for the test flight by the first quarter of 2020. The international airport is expected to serve 760,000 passengers annually by 2030, including 280,000 visitors to Lumbini which lies 20 kilometers west of the GBIA. The completion of GBIA with enable airlines to establish direct air services from countries like India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar, which Buddhist population is high, immediately and from China, South Korea and Japan in the medium term.