SOLUKHUMBU, May 26: Nepal Airlines now operates regular flights four days a week between Phaplu Airport in Salleri, the district headquarters of Solukhumbu, and Kathmandu.
The airline resumed operations on this route and scheduled flights for every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) office in Phaplu.
Test flights conducted at Phaplu, Rumjatar airports
Nepal Airlines had suspended the service for an extended period due to technical issues with its aircraft. Senior officer Bhanu Bhakta Acharya at CAAN, Phaplu, confirmed that the airline resumed flights after completing necessary repairs. Earlier, it had operated only one weekly flight, but the aircraft's grounding halted even that.
Nepal Airlines' Phaplu Station In-Charge, Tenzi Sherpa, said the airline completely suspended flights on this route from Poush (mid-December to mid-January) to Chaitra (March/April). Mahesh Adhikari, a local entrepreneur from Salleri, said, "Now that regular flights have resumed, we no longer have to endure the difficult BP Highway journey to Kathmandu. However, this service must remain reliable and consistent—not just temporary."
When the airline suspended operations, many people faced hardships in travel, business, emergency medical care, and essential services.
The resumed flights have revived hope among tourism operators in this popular trekking region, said Karma Sherpa, senior vice president of the Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN).
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