Domestic flight frequency of Nepali airline companies have been seeing gradual increment every year. The flight frequency is nearly around 1,00,000 flights a year from domestic airline and helicopter companies.
As of 2017, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) had recorded more than 93 thousand flights and the number is set to increase in 2018 as around 78 thousand flights have already been operated from January to October of 2018.
As per TIA, the flights will reach around one hundred thousand as calculation of flights of November and December is still left and the other flights operation like chartered and VVIP flights have not been counted.
The flight frequency have been increasing due to increase in number of airlines and addition of aircraft by existing airline companies.
The data of TIA departure and arrival has shown that around 22 companies have flown nearly 78 thousand flights in this 10 months of 2018 and more than 2.4 million passengers have taken service from the flights.
The number of flights were around 68 thousand in 2014 and was decreased in 2015 to 65 thousand but after that, the flights number has been increasing gradually. In 2016 and 2017, the number of domestic flight operation was more than 73 thousand and 93 thousand respectively.
The increase in flights have also helped in increase in investment in this sector which is again going to increase the flight number. Most airlines have been planning to increase seat capacity of airlines by introducing new aircraft with more seats.
Currently, Buddha Air has been leading domestic carrier with more than 20 thousand flights in last 3 years and yeti is following with more than 15 thousand flights already in 10 months of this year. Flag carrier Nepal Airlines (NAC) has been gaining loss from domestic sector and has not been able to reach even 5 thousand flight in year. The airline has done 3200 flights till October.
