Two of the Sajha buses to be leased by Nepal Airlines (NAC)
January 4, 2017- Kathmandu
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has decided to hire two buses from Sajha Yatayat as an short-term measure to holder the rush in passenger movement at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
The move tails criticisms by airlines that the two airfield ramp buses of NAC, which embraces the contract to offer ground handling facilities at TIA, have become insufficient due to the growth in number of tourists.
NAC had allotted proposals to obtain two ramp buses with an ability of more than 100 seats to grip the upsurge in the number of travelers. “However, it will take minimum six months for the buses to arrive. So, as a short-term measure, NAC decided to lease two of the Sajha buses and the deal would be signed soon.
Conferring to airlines, a shortage of buses has been deterring level movement of passengers. Rising passenger and aircraft traffic movement has steered to TIA approaching saturation point, chiefly with respect to parking and airspace. A deficiency of ramp buses is the newest burden.
As nearly all airlines have elevated their regularity from last September, the current transport service has been strained to the edge by the augmented passenger movement.
This year, TIA has witnessed a histrionic passenger growth even in December, conventionally the off season for tourism.
It is a noble sign, but infrastructure hiatuses persist. There are nine parking bays at the country’s sole international airport, and the two passenger shuttle buses are not able to handle the rush.
The October-November period is the highest tourism season which usually sees more than 80 international flights day-to-day. Presently, there are 28 international airlines linking Nepal, and most of them have double daily flights.
In the first nine months of 2016, TIA logged 19,012 international flight activities. Likewise, traveller movement has grown 5.51 percent to 2.50 million in the chief nine months of 2016, rendering TIA statistics.
