-KATHMANDU
Recommencing air service from closed airports and start of new flight routes to the different region of the country has encouraged the domestic airline operators.
The airfields located at the lap of vibrant terrain and Terai which remained closed for long are presently being reopened at the initiation of local representatives and business leaders with the assurance of seat occupancy from local units which has made the domestic airlines ecstatic and have started operating flights to several airports.
Baglung based Balewa airport has retrieved its air service from March 23, this year after 26 years in coordination with Baglung Municipility to serve the residents at the district. The expected flight time to Balewa Airport from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is around 45 minutes and 13 minute flight from Pokhara Airport. Presently, Tara Air and Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) are operating two flights a week on Sundays and Thursdays, respectively, to the airfield.
Media Spokesperson of Yeti Airlines (Sister Company Tara Air), Mr. Bhim Raj Rai, stated that they were handling than 80 percent seat occupancy to new destinations.
Similarly, Rabindra Shrestha, the spokesperson for NAC, said that the carrier was also enjoying full seat occupancy in Balewa sector.
Buddha Air started scheduled flights to Bharatpur and Bhairahawa from Pokhara from September 15, last year. The airline, which started flights on these routes with one weekly flight, has now raised frequency to two flights a week.
Marketing Manager for Buddha Air Binita Thapa, said “We are enjoying more than 80 percent seat occupancy on these routes.” She added that there was no immediate plan of increasing flight frequency further on these routes.
Similarly, Buddha Air and NAC have recently started direct flights to Surkhet from Kathmandu, starting April 14. Both the airlines are satisfied with the seat occupancy so far.
“We are getting good traffic in this sector as well,” Thapa added.
Likewise, Tara Air is flying one weekly flight to Dang airfield which resumed flight operation earlier in January. People there are urging the airlines to increased flight frequency.
