Easier highway access reduces air passengers in Pokhara

POKHARA, Jan 16: Nearly 950,000 air passengers travelled through Pokhara International Airport in 2025. As road connectivity to Pokhara has steadily improved, the number of air passengers declined in 2025 compared to the previous year. However, the volume of international air passengers remains significantly low.

According to airport data, the total number of international passengers in 2025 stood at just 2,880. Statistics from Pokhara International Airport show that a total of 946,745 passengers used the airport in 2025. Of them, 176,567 were foreign nationals—the highest number of international passengers recorded so far.

Airport records show that in 2024, Pokhara International Airport handled a total of 1,019,919 passengers. In 2023, the number stood at 882,152, all of whom were domestic travelers. Pokhara International Airport began operations on January 1, 2023. Of the total passengers in 2024, 173,000 were foreign nationals, while in 2023, the number of foreign passengers was 125,000.

Pokhara currently has two operational airports. Flights are still operated from the old Pokhara Airport, though services there are limited. Only Jomsom flights operate from the old airport, along with helicopter and ultralight aircraft services.

Airport manager Surya Khatri said the number of air passengers in Pokhara declined in 2025 compared to 2024. “Air passenger numbers have slightly decreased in 2025 compared to 2024. As road connectivity to Pokhara has improved, its impact is visible in air travel,” Khatri said. “Until last year, travel between Pokhara and Kathmandu by road was extremely difficult. It has now become relatively easier.”

When road access was poor, travelers heading to Pokhara were forced to endure exhausting journeys. Due to the difficulty of road travel, air travel had increased, he said. “The under-construction Pokhara–Muglin road has now become easier to use. If the Muglin–Kathmandu stretch also becomes smoother, air passenger numbers may decline further,” he added.

Air travel to Pokhara was disrupted in 2023 due to a plane crash that occurred just 15 days after the airport began operations. Following the accident near the newly operational international airport, many passengers lost confidence in flying to Pokhara. However, after a few months, as operations picked up pace, passenger numbers gradually increased.

In previous years, the expansion of the Pokhara–Muglin highway had contributed to an increase in air passengers. A journey that normally took six hours between Pokhara and Kathmandu often stretched to 15–16 hours due to road conditions. Currently, that travel time has been significantly reduced.

The 90-kilometre Pokhara–Muglin journey, which ideally takes three hours, used to take seven to eight hours during road expansion works. Due to such hardships, travelers had prioritized air travel. Now that the highway has largely been completed, the Pokhara–Muglin stretch can be completed in around one and a half hours.

Pokhara is a major tourist city, which naturally results in high passenger movement. Domestic tourists frequently travel to Pokhara. After Kathmandu, Pokhara records the highest number of flights and passengers,” Khatri said. “If international flights are further expanded, passenger numbers linked to Pokhara would be significantly higher than they are now.”

Domestic flights in Pokhara have increased substantially in recent times. As an international airport, Pokhara International Airport is technically capable of operating at any time when required. With sufficient infrastructure, flights operate late at night and early in the morning. “There have been instances when flights operated from Pokhara International Airport until 2 am due to travel disruptions. Such late-night operations were not possible from the old airport,” said a tourism entrepreneur. “Although international flights remain limited, Pokhara is currently benefiting from high-quality domestic flight services.”

While scheduled daily international flights have yet to begin, Pokhara has made notable progress in domestic air connectivity, the entrepreneur said. Air links from Pokhara have expanded on domestic routes. According to the airport, during peak seasons, around 4,300 passengers travel through the airport in a single day.

Currently, regular flights operate from Pokhara to Kathmandu, Bharatpur, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj. Yeti Airlines and Buddha Air operate regular services. Buddha Air operates flights from Pokhara to Kathmandu, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa and Bharatpur, while Yeti Airlines runs regular flights between Pokhara and Kathmandu.