Kathmandu, February 23

With the instrument landing system (ILS) brought into operation at Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), the airport will now remain open for at least 18 hours a day from today.

The new airport, which was inaugurated at the start of the year, will now allow day as well as night flights following the availability of visual flight rules (VFR), instrument flight rules (IFR), and ILS system, according to Jagannath Niraula, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

'After the start of night operations, the airport will remain open for at least 18 hours, depending on the flight schedules. Pilots will also be able to land and take off through the use of the ILS facility, which is a highly accurate means of navigating to the runway when flying in IFR conditions,' he told The Himalayan Times.

So far, Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, and Shree Airlines have shown interest in conducting night flights to the new airport by increasing their flight schedule. 'While Buddha Air has decided to move the base for five of its aircraft to the new airport from March 9, Yeti Airlines and Shree Airlines are also keen on the same,' he said. Niraula added that several international airlines, including Himalaya Airlines, Nepal Airlines Corporation, Korean Air, Jazeera Airways, and Wizz Air have also shown strong interest to start operations from PRIA.

Although Buddha Air has not expanded its flight schedule yet, the airline company started following IFR procedures at PRIA from today, citing visibility issues.

According to Gyanendra Bhul, information officer for CAAN, Buddha Air has not increased its flight schedule but has switched its VFR flights to IFR following the implementation of ILS, citing instances of poor visibility conditions while conducting its operations at PRIA. 'The airline will formally begin IFR flights after setting up the base for its aircraft from March 9 and extend its flight schedule at the same time. Yeti Airlines has also decided to move ahead with the same after internal discussions,' he told THT.

Earlier, the old Pokhara airport was operated on the basis of the VFR system, in which the air traffic control specialist and the pilot coordinated with each other for takeoff and landing procedures.

Meanwhile, the delay in bringing the ILS into operation at Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) has prompted many airline companies to suspend their flights to and from the airport. 'Talks are under way to bring the ILS system into operation at the earliest at GBIA and we expect a positive outcome soon,' Niraula informed.

While Kuwait's Jazeera Airlines had started operating international flights from GBIA not long after its launch, Himalaya Airlines started operations from the airport on November 3. However, both airlines suspended their international flights from GBIA in December, mainly due to poor weather. With some improvement in weather conditions, Jazeera Airways has announced it will resume operations from the airport in a couple of days.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 24, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.