The number of air passengers have increased at Mustang after the winter season has come to an end. In the winter season, the flights got reduced as there were less passengers. According to Civil Aviation Authority of Jomsom, the number of Indian tourists have been relatively high at present.
Tara Air conducted only one flight per day in the winter season and most of the flights were cancelled due to low visibility, high wind factor and disturbance in reroute. Due to the geographical structure and unfavorable weather phenomena, Jomsom airport is frequently hit by disturbance in flight operation.
At present, 5 daily flights are being conducted by Tara Air as the winter season is ending and the beauty of Jomsom is flourishing attracting tourists especially Indians.
Mr. Bishal Barun, Air Traffic Controller (ATC) stated due to the geographical structure, flights in Jomsom is as a fifth risk flight area. In the high air hazards of Nepal, Solukhumbu’s Lukla Airport, Mugu’s Rara Airport , Humla’s Simikot Airport , Jumla’s Jumla Airport and Mustang’s Jomsom Airport are the dangerous airports of the Nepal.
In January 2018, the wind speed of 70 knots was measured at the airport whereas three years ago, it was 101 knots which was the strongest wind speed ever recorded at the region.
As per the information, tourists usually book two way ticket for Jomsom due to which the locals and domestic tourists have been facing difficulty in getting tickets. Mostly, the domestic tourists and locals use or prefer road infrastructure for travelling.
Tara Airlines has been flying a regular flight from Pokhara to Jomsom. In the past, Simrik Air and Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) used to conduct flights. According to the Civil Aviation Office, in the nearest future Summit Airlines, NAC and Sita Airlines will also provide service to the airport.
