Kathmandu, Aug 10: Despite the government’s ‘bumper gift’ plan to attract airlines, international flights from Pokhara and Bhairahawa airports remain limited, causing serious operational challenges. Both airports, built with heavy loans, have struggled to attract regular international services even after extensive fee waivers.
Currently, only one international flight per week operates at each airport. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has waived passenger service fees, parking, landing, navigation, tourism, ground handling charges, and discounted aviation fuel, yet airlines remain reluctant. Gyanendra Bhul, CAAN’s information officer, warned, “We have waived all fees, but flights are not taking off, putting the authority at risk of collapse.”
Pokhara International Airport opened in January 2023, and Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa began operations in May 2022. Both airports, built with loans, are struggling to cover even their interest payments. “We haven’t earned enough to repay loan installments; even staff salaries remain unpaid,” Bhul added.
The Ministry of Tourism has fully exempted the NPR 3,000 passenger service fee and waived NPR 1,000 in other charges on international tickets from these airports. Ground handling fees are discounted by 75 percent, saving airlines thousands of dollars per flight. Nepal Oil Corporation also offers a $100 per liter discount on aviation fuel. These incentives will continue until mid-2026 under the government’s aviation improvement plan.
Despite these efforts, low passenger numbers have forced some airlines to stop international flights. Nepal Airlines currently operates just one weekly flight from Malaysia to Bhairahawa with no onward connections. Himalaya Airlines runs a weekly Pokhara-Lhasa flight, but passenger turnout remains low. Occasional charter flights operate from Pokhara.
CAAN points to missing facilities like labor offices, immigration, and quarantine as reasons passengers avoid these airports. “Passengers prefer Kathmandu because necessary services are not available locally,” Bhul said.
While domestic flights help cover operational costs, they fall short of meeting loan repayments. Pokhara airport was built with nearly NPR 28 billion borrowed from China, and Gautam Buddha airport involved around NPR 9.5 billion from international loans. Without regular international flights, both airports face an uncertain financial future.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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