Buddha Air conducts successful test flight of 72-seater aircraft on Kathmandu–Bharatpur route

KATHMANDU, May 22: Buddha Air's 72-seater aircraft conducted a successful test flight on the Kathmandu–Bharatpur route this morning.

The aircraft landed at Bharatpur Airport for the first time at 9:30 am and performed takeoff and landing from both directions—Runway 15 (southeast) and Runway 33 (west).

Pilots Pramod Thapa and Rabi Shrestha conducted the test flight. Captain Thapa, who has been with Buddha Air for 27 years, said the flight faced no major issues and that landing and takeoff at Bharatpur Airport were neither difficult nor risky. He also mentioned that preparations to submit the flight test reports are already underway.

Dev Chandra Lal Karna, Deputy Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), observed the takeoff and landing of the aircraft. Karna, who also oversees the regulation and safety division at CAAN, stated that the test flight was conducted to assess the feasibility of operating a 72-seater aircraft at Bharatpur Airport.

He explained that the final assessment of the test flight’s success will be based on a detailed analysis of various factors such as the pilots' communication, voice recordings, engine performance, and braking action. This data will be reviewed through the flight recorder before determining whether the test flight was successful.

Karna emphasized that conducting a test flight with an unloaded aircraft and landing with a fully loaded one are different scenarios, and all aspects will be thoroughly analyzed before making a final decision. He said the final report will be submitted within a month to a month and a half, and if the airline wishes, regular flights could begin within two months.

Buddha Airlines station manager Bhakta Bahadur Basnet, stated that engineers from the CANN were also present during the test flight and will submit their own reports.

Currently, Buddha Air operates 42-seater aircraft on the Kathmandu–Bharatpur and Pokhara–Bharatpur routes. The test flight was conducted as part of the airline’s plan to introduce 72-seater aircraft on the route. Basnet added that the test flight had been delayed due to the delay in granting permission by the CANN.

Of the two 42-seater aircraft currently operating on the route, one is in the process of being phased out, which has compelled Buddha Air to introduce a 72-seater aircraft. At present, Buddha Air operates seven flights daily from Bharatpur.

Earlier, Shree Airlines conducted a test flight at Bharatpur Airport with its 72-seater aircraft on June 20, 2024, and has been operating regular flights since Kartik (mid-October/mid-November). A few years ago, Yeti Airlines also operated flights to Bharatpur, but those flights have since been discontinued.

The flight duration between Bharatpur and Kathmandu is just 20 minutes. Currently, Buddha Air charges over Rs 4,500 for a one-way ticket on this route. Although it was previously believed that large aircraft couldn’t operate at Bharatpur Airport due to its short runway, 72-seater ATR aircraft have now started arriving.

The current 1,200-meter runway is set to be extended, and the process to acquire an additional 300 meters of land from the Nepal Army's Bharatpur-based Horse Reproduction Center located west of the airport has begun.