Despite Advanced Facilities at Pokhara and Bhairahawa International Airports, Why Are Flights Less Attractive?
Image source, Bhairahawa Immigration Office
The government has decided in a recent cabinet meeting to grant full exemption from ‘parking’, ‘landing’, and ‘navigation’ fees at airports to international airlines operating regular flights from Bhairahawa and Pokhara until the end of Ashwin 2085 (mid-September 2028).
Additionally, the decision taken last Wednesday includes a 50 percent discount on ‘ground handling’ charges.
According to a spokesperson from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, such incentives will help airlines operating long-haul flights save at least 20 percent of their operating costs.
“After fuel expenses, these areas offer the largest cost savings. This reduces airlines’ total operating costs by at least 20 percent,” said spokesperson Bikram Raj Gautam.
This decision extends similar benefits that were provided previously for a limited duration.
Fly Dubai has announced it will start regular flights from Pokhara from Ashoj (September/October). Meanwhile, other airlines operating from Bhairahawa have been ceasing operations and the airport remains inactive currently.
Young people cite ‘lack of passengers’ as the main challenge for flights at both international airports.
“When any airline decides whether to operate a flight to a destination or not, the key factor is whether there is sufficient passenger or cargo demand,” says spokesperson Gautam. “This is entirely a business matter without any obstacles intended.”
Low Passenger Numbers Correlate with Fewer Flights
These regional international airports, established with expensive foreign loans, have struggled to reliably connect destinations outside Kathmandu.
Even within domestic air services, there is little commercial confidence in operating routes outside the capital when external airlines are considered.
Recently, Nepal Airlines started regular flights to Malaysia from Bhairahawa.
“At that time, passenger flow did not show encouraging signs,” stated Archana Khadka, spokesperson of Nepal Airlines. “However, the main challenge remains the limited number of aircraft.”
When Tribhuvan International Airport was undergoing maintenance, some flights were redirected to Bhairahawa but those flights were not sustained.
Image source, Pradeep Bashyal/BBC
While plans exist to establish flights outside Kathmandu in the future, current prospects are not promising.
“Currently, even maintaining aircraft on existing routes is challenging. Accordingly, operating flights based in Pokhara and Bhairahawa is difficult at this time,” explains an industry source.
Himalaya Airlines operated a weekly Pokhara-Lhasa flight for a few months but it was discontinued. Large international charter flights have also been sporadically operated at Pokhara.
Many charter flights from Chengdu in China by Sichuan Airlines have been seen, as well as some flights from Bhutan.
Fly Dubai once operated flights from Bhairahawa but currently is not in operation.
Other airlines that operated from Bhairahawa Airport include Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways, Thailand’s Thai AirAsia, and Qatar Airways.
Issues of Flight Permits and Routes
Image source, RSS
While it was expected that these airports would profitably connect with Indian cities, Bhairahawa and Pokhara have yet to establish regular flights to Indian destinations, aside from some charter flights.
Flight permit and route constraints have been among the most complex issues.
Initially, according to existing air routes, flights from Delhi to Bhairahawa had to take a detour via Simara, increasing costs. There has been no agreement yet on a shorter route.
Tanuja Pokhrel, Senior Divisional Engineer at the Civil Aviation Department of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, stated that the upcoming bilateral talks between the two countries’ aviation regulators will address route issues.
She noted, “Many parties have shown interest and conducted business evaluations, so the situation looks different now.”
“Technically, there is no issue. Economically, it remains a matter of thorough evaluation by airlines,” she added.
According to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal spokesperson Bikram Raj Gautam, how these regional international airports connect with India is ultimately a diplomatic issue that cannot be resolved otherwise.
Disappointment Over India Routes
Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Nepalese private airline Buddha Air desires to operate regular flights from Pokhara to various cities in India but has yet to realize this in practice.
This company, which already flies regularly to Banaras and Kolkata from Kathmandu, has been requesting flight permits to India for Pokhara international airport since its inauguration.
“We have stopped actively pursuing this matter. If permission were granted, destinations like Muktinath and Manakamana near Pokhara could attract many Indian tourists,” an official from Buddha Air said.
Himalaya Airlines, a partnership between Nepal’s Yeti Group and Tibet Airlines, has not obtained any flight permits to India yet.
“Our Air Service Agreement (ASA) poses no problem for Nepal Airlines to fly to India from Pokhara, but the challenge lies in the limited number of aircraft,” said Nepal Airlines spokesperson Archana Khadka.
Nepal Airlines has been operating regular flights from Kathmandu to various cities in India.
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