Onwards and Upwards

This chapter explores how airports and airspace can be recognised as development zones that serve to connect the ground and the air. Through four “aerial snapshots” (airspace restrictions, a new air route, a binational airline venture, and the building of the “next” international airport in Nepal), this paper shows how aerial development takes on a specific significance in how Nepal positions itself vis-à-vis the borders of India and China. It argues that a volumetric approach – paying attention to the spatial production of both land and air – is vital in order to understand the future shape of aerial development zones in the Himalayas.