POKHARA, Jan 4: It has been two years since Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) began operations. The airport was inaugurated on the first day of 2023. During this period, the airport operations have been limited to domestic flights only. Pokharel's dream of connecting Pokhara to international destinations directly by air has not yet been fulfilled. Pokhara is still hoping for its first regular international flight.
Businessmen had high hopes soon after the international airport was built in Pokhara. They were optimistic that it would connect Pokhara directly to international destinations and increase the number of foreign visitors. Even the Gandaki province government encouraged businessmen to invest in the tourism sector, saying the international airport would increase the number of foreign visitors and that new investment would be needed for new hotels in Pokhara to manage the influx of tourists.
With the encouragement of the provincial government and the construction of the airport gaining momentum, not only Pokhara but the entire Gandaki Province was very optimistic, and accordingly increased investments. However, that hope has not materialized even after two years. It is still unclear when international flights will be launched from the airport. Despite two years of appeals to ministers, prime ministers, and top political leaders demanding regular flights from PRIA, the businessmen's pleas have not been addressed.
A total of 11 international flights have been operated from the airport in the past two years, including demo, chartered, and relief flights. However, there is no sign of regular flights.
“It has been two years since PRIA began operations. However, it is not possible to say when regular international flights will start,” said Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
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According to the CAAN, Himalaya Airlines planned to operate a flight from Lhasa, China, to Pokhara once a week, but the date has not been fixed yet. Previously, plans for various international flights to Pokhara were announced, but these airlines have yet to start operations.
“Any international airline looks at the commercial viability when flying to a destination. Since Pokhara has not confirmed its commercial potential, it is not possible to operate flights,” said a CAAN official in Pokhara, adding, “Pokhara must confirm its commercial capacity. Flights can resume only if Pokhara can be sure that there will be enough passengers for any flight.”
Tourism entrepreneurs say that if Pokhara’s dream of connecting to various countries through international flights is not fulfilled, investments will be at risk. Tourism entrepreneur Pom Narayan Shrestha said that although the Gandaki provincial government assured that the airport would be built on time and international flights would be available, this has not materialized.
“The construction of an international airport began in Pokhara. The provincial government also encouraged businessmen to invest, saying that tourism infrastructure should be ready once the airport was built. We also increased our investment after the provincial government said that flights would definitely be available,” said Shrestha, director of Pokhara Ultralight Company, which operates in Pokhara, “However, two years after the inauguration of the airport, there have been no international flights. Two years have passed in vain. We cannot afford to wait any longer,” he said.
Shrestha said the government should not delay regular international flights any longer. Otherwise, the investment made by businessmen will sink. He said that after assurances from both the provincial and federal governments, tourism businessmen increased their investment in hotels, restaurants, and adventure activities.
“By the time the airport was ready, the infrastructure for hotels and restaurants was also in place. But, flights did not take place," he said, "Many businessmen will go bankrupt if this situation continues." He said that Pokhara could breathe a sigh of relief if even the flag carrier Nepal Airlines operates regular flights from Pokhara.
According to him, there is no shortage of passengers on flights from Pokhara to destinations such as India, Malaysia, Dubai, Doha, and Thailand.
He also stated that Pokhara will offer lucrative packages to attract passengers to fly from Pokhara.
Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) Chairman Taranath Pahari also said that there is no concrete initiative to operate the airport.
He said that flights from Pokhara cannot take place until the compulsion to go to the federal capital for documentation works is addressed.
“There is still an obligation to go to Kathmandu for government approval. If the provincial government provides those services from Pokhara, it will help increase the number of passengers. Apart from that, international marketing is also needed,” he said.
“The state has no choice but to force airlines to divert to Pokhara and Bhairahawa to decrease the load capacity of Kathmandu airport,” he said, “But this situation persists because everyone wants to fly only from Kathmandu.”
