Mobility Humanities

This article examines how civil aviation infrastructure operates as both a catalyst for development and a geopolitical instrument, using Nepal's Pokhara International Airport (PIA) as a case study. Rather than generalising from Nepal to a universal model of small-state behaviour, the article uses Nepal as a strategically situated case to analyse how regional asymmetries shape small-state agency. Drawing on fieldwork, interviews, and document analysis, it shows how Nepal used PIA to project sovereignty and diversify diplomatic ties while revealing persistent dependencies. From a Nepali perspective, three dynamics emerge: airports function as sites of geopolitical negotiation rather than merely technical facilities; small states enact agency through symbolic diaplomacy and selective engagement; and infrastructural ambitions remain embedded in asymmetric regional power relations. By foregrounding aviation, an often-overlooked sector in South Asian infrastructure debates, the article develops an analytical framework that bridges Science and Technology Studies, small-state theory, and geopolitics to show how infrastructure projects embody both material and symbolic power.