Rukumkot Chaurjahari Airport serving Chaurjahari has been closed since 11 months. Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) used to conduct 2 flights in a week. The flights of NAC which is the only operator in Chaurjahari airport had cancelled all flights since the second week of Jestha 2074.
The Chaurjahari airport was blacktopped with the cost of Rs4.5 crore four years ago.
The airport employees are getting salaries staying at home and no initiative has been made to bring the airport in operation.
Due to cancellations of flights, the locals mainly the ill patients have been directly affected. As a result of such reasons, the patients who have been referred to Nepalgunj and Kathmandu hospitals are compelled to use roadways instead. The serious illness patients with risky health conditions have to use to road ways.
The Rukum district features another airport known as Salley Airport. This airport located at Musikot use to have 2 flights weekly but now after removal of schedule flights from Chaurjhari, another 2 flights have been added to Salley Airport making it 4 flights per week. At both of these airports of Rukum, there is no regular air service from the private airline, except Nepal Airlines Cooperation (NAC).
Surendra Nepali, head of the Chaurjahari station said that the air traffic service has been closed due to technical reasons. The flight has been closed due to the lack of passengers instead the flights have been shifted to headquarter at Salley Airport, he added.
Due to this, the people of Jajarkot and Salyan have been adversely affected.
