Nepalgunj, November 19:

Following the suspension of flights by Cosmic Airlines, air tickets are in short supply in Nepalgunj. Locals who had benefited from cheap ticket prices of Cosmic Air are now worried after the cancellation of regular flights. The shortage of air tickets at offices of other airlines

in Nepalgunj started following Cosmic’s flight cancellations. Earlier, a Fokker jet of Cosmic Airlines was operating regular flights on Nepalgunj-Kathmandu-Nepalgunj route twice daily.

Cosmic Airlines has suspended all domestic flights since today after Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) refused to provide it with fuel as the airlines is yet to clear out its dues of Rs 85 million to NOC.

“Due to shortage of air tickets, I am compelled to miss an important meeting,” Jaydew Awasthi, a local wholesale dealer of medicines, said. All tickets of available flights had been booked for the upcoming week, he said. He said tickets were easily available while Cosmic Airlines was operational. Many local entrepreneurs, including drugs suppliers, are stranded due to the cancellation of flights. Meanwhile, people thronged ticket counters of Buddha Air and Yeti Air but no tickets were available. “All flights are full till November 27,” Bijaya Chaudhary of Yeti Airlines, said.

According to the proprietor of Cable Tour and Travels, Madhav Timilsena, due to postponement of flights by Cosmic Airlines, air tickets in Nepalgunj were in great demand.

“We are scared of losing goodwill since we are unable to provide air tickets to people coming to us,” he said. It is hard to get tickets of even the government-run RNAC, Timilsena said, adding even the staffs of RNAC were unable to go to Kathmandu as no tickets were available.

Due to Cosmic Air’s operations, several travel agencies had set up in Nepalgunj, Timilsena said.

Gorkha Airlines resumes flights

Kathmandu: Gorkha Airlines on Friday reportedly resumed operation from Kathmandu to Janakpur and Bharatpur sectors after striking a deal with Nepal Oil Corporation, said a source at the airline. The airlines resumed its operations after the NOC agreed to provide aviation fuel. The source said NOC was willing to release aviation fuel to the airline after the latter agreed to clear NOC’s dues. — HNS