POKHARA, Oct 3: The flight schedules of nine airports, including the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), have been fixed earlier by approximately one and a half hours. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to start flights from these airports at 4:30 am due to an increase in air passengers caused by road blockades due to rainfall and landslides.
Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at the authority, announced that flights from nine airports, including Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), will commence at 4:30 am. Typically, flights from airports equipped with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) technology are only operated after 6 am, but this change is intended to accommodate the current demand.
The airports opening at 4:30 am will operate flights until midnight. However, TIA, which handles international flights, will have additional operating hours. According to Bhul, Kathmandu, Pokhara, Simara, Chandragadhi, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Nepalganj, Bhairahawa, and Dhangadhi airports will all begin flights at 4:30 am.
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“Due to the issues on the road, there has been an increase in passenger pressure on air routes. Consequently, the number of flights has risen, particularly with the arrival season for foreign tourists. There is no option but to extend operating hours when the demand for flights is high,” Bhul said. He noted that air traffic tends to increase during the Dashain and Tihar festivals, and this year, the demand has surged further due to road blockages.
Last year, the flight volume increased by 25 percent during the Dashain-Tihar period, but this year, the demand is up 40 percent compared to normal levels. Bhul said that the current conditions have resulted in significant waiting times for passengers, prompting the decision to utilize the early morning hours.
Under normal circumstances, Kathmandu sees about 400 domestic flights daily. However, due to the current disruptions, the number of flights has exceeded 550. Last year, approximately 500 flights were recorded on the main day of Dashain, and Bhul noted that the number of flights is expected to increase in the days leading up to the festival. “With road travel being uncertain and unsafe, many passengers are opting to fly,” he said.
Using the additional morning hours, it is anticipated that around 50 more flights can be accommodated each day. Bhul expressed optimism that early morning and late evening flights would ease travel for passengers, emphasizing that the flight schedule has been coordinated with the airlines.
The PRIA has been operating for 19 hours a day for the past two days, with flights starting at 7 am and continuing until 2 am the following day, according to airport officials.
