Dense haze disrupts flights in Pokhara

POKHARA, March 15: Regular flights to and from Pokhara have been affected for the last few days due to bad weather. Travel schedules of foreign tourists willing to visit Pokhara have also been disrupted with the string of cancellations of flights including those to Himalayan district like Mustang. [break]



Civil Aviation Office in Pokhara said most of the flights to and from Pokhara were canceled Saturday and Sunday due to thick haze developed in the sky for the last couple of days.






“A nominal number of flights was operated in Pokhara on Saturday and Sunday amid dipping visibility which is far less than the required standard,” said Narendra Bahadur Thapa, chief of Civil Aviation Office in Pokhara.



Only one flight was operated on Saturday from Pokhara airport which used to handle 20-22 flights every day. According to him, Agni Air made single flight to Kathmandu from Pokhara while Yeti Airlines made a flight to Pokhara from Kathmandu on Saturday.



He said visibility has dropped to 2 to 3 km, which is far less than minimum required visibility of 5 km.