KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 17

Nepal Airlines Corporation is planning to operate regular flights from Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) from November 28.

According to Spokesperson for NAC Archana Khadka, the corporation is set to operate the first commercial flight to GBIA from New Delhi.

'We have already submitted an application to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) for rescheduling of flight time at GBIA from Delhi,' Khadka told The Himalayan Times.

'Once we receive CAAN's approval, we will operate four fights per week in the Delhi-Bhairahawa sector,' she informed.

In the initial phase, the corporation is planning to operate flights from Kathmandu to Delhi and conduct flights from there to Bhairahawa and return to Kathmandu, she added.

The NAC will be conducting the flights in the Delhi-Bhairahawa sector with 157-passenger capacity Airbus A320 narrow body.

According to Spokesperson for the CAAN Jagnnath Niroula, there will be direct flights in the Bhairahawa-Delhi sector in the coming days depending on the demand of passengers.

Apart from Kuwaiti air carrier Jazeera Airways, no airline had shown any inclination to operate from the GBIA citing non-viability of business at the national pride project costing the exchequer over Rs 30 billion.

Subsequently, CAAN, the regulatory body had directed the domestic airline companies to conduct at least one flight to/ from Gautam Buddha International Airport for three flights operating at TIA to manage the existing air traffic in TIA and for effective utilisation of GBIA.

On October 22, CAAN had sent a notice mandating international airlines conducting more than three flights a day to allocate a flight from GBIA from December 16 onwards as they would require more time. But for domestic airline companies making flights to India, the authority had reduced the number of flights from TIA to 10 from 14 per week from October 30.

Consequently, an aircraft of NAC leaving for New Delhi from Tribhuvan International Airport was denied take-off by airport authorities on October 30, leaving 254 passengers stranded.

Meanwhile, international airline companies, including Fly Dubai and Air Arabia, have commenced the process of initiating regular flights to GBIA, said Niroula.

'As we've informed the international airlines about the new rules from December 16, these two airlines have expressed interest to operate a flight from GBIA,' he shared. 'We've been holding series of meetings with these companies and have also visited GBIA for observation work.'

Currently, Himalaya Airlines has been operating charter flights from GBIA to Malaysia since November 3.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 18, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.