Balewa Airport which resumed its service after 26 years of closure has faced loss of over Rs 5.5 lakh in three months while operating flight from Balewa to Kathmandu.
According to the agreement between airlines and Municipality to pay equal amount of air ticket in the absence of passengers, the municipality has paid 5 lakhs 65 thousands after resuming its services from Chaitra.
According to Bhimsen Panta, chief of social branch of Baglung Municipality, the municipality paid 1 lakh 30 thousand to Tara Air and 78 thousands to Nepal Ailrines Corporation (NAC) in the month of Chaitra whereas 1 lakh 69 thousand to Tara Air and 97 thousands to NAC on Baisakh month. Similarly, in the month of Jestha, the municipality paid 91 thousand for ticket price of 14 passengers to Tara Air.
Jana Raj Poudel, head of Baglung Municipality stated that there is some relief after the reduction in the air ticket of NAC. He also informed that the municipality has requested airlines to conduct regular flights in the coming days with municipality not being able to pay the money in the absence of passengers.
In 2022 BS, the construction of the Baglung-Pokhara road was completed and after that in 2048, the airport came to a closure. Although the initiative was taken to bring the airport into operation several times but it did not get meaningfulness.
Baglung (Balewa) Airport is situated at Narayanthan Municipality of Baglung District, Province No. 4. At an elevation of 990 m. /3248 ft. above mean sea level. The airport provides the flight service under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and has Clay/Grass Surface runway with its dimension of 608 m x 30 meter aligned to 010 degrees and 190 degrees. The airport currently has two parking capacity which can accommodate the STOL aircraft like DHC6 Twin Otter, Harbin Y12 and Cessna Grand Caravan C208.
