KATHMANDU, Sept 8: Domestic airline companies have been witnessing a notable rise in their business with the number of travelers growing by almost 50 percent after the Krishnabhir segment of Prithvi Highway collapsed due to floods in the Trishuli River.
According to domestic airlines operators, the number of air travelers has reached 15,000 following the blockage of the Prithvi Highway, the lifeline of the Kathmandu valley. On normal days, around 10,000 travelers used to commute through the busy highway.
The Krishnabhir section of the Nagdhunga-Muglin road was washed away by the Trishuli River in Dhading’s Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality a week after the devastating Bhotekoshi flood on August 26. Both freight traffic and passenger vehicles along the route have remained halted since last week.
Traffic resumes on Prithvi Highway after four hours
According to air service providers, people traveling to and from Kathmandu from districts including Kaski, Syangja, Chitwan, Rupandehi, Gulmi, Palpa, Arghakhanchi have started giving priority to air routes over land routes. Passenger traffic has increased sharply, particularly for destinations including Bharatpur, Pokhara, and Bhairahawa. Likewise, airlines have also started increasing the number of flights to those areas with the surge in demand.
The government has prescribed various alternative routes to the Prithvi Highway including Tribhuvan Highway and Kanti Highway that connect the capital to Hetauda. In addition, the authorities have even enforced one-way traffic systems in a number of these sideways aiming to reduce traffic congestion.
However, the travelers are found reluctant to use alternative routes citing a number of hassles including long distance and additional hours of drive to reach their destinations, according to airlines companies.
Rupesh Joshi, operation director of Buddha Air, said the average occupancy of airlines has reached up to 90 percent connecting Kathmandu to certain destinations like Bharatpur, Pokhara and Bhairahawa. According to him, the occupancy rate has increased by around 10 percent.
Airline operators claim that the demand for air service has also increased due to the reduced ticket fares under their corporate social responsibility in the aftermath of the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli flood. A number of airlines companies including Shree Airlines are reported to have increased their flight frequencies by up to 60 percent, an increase from 15 to 25 flights per day.
As the companies have been selling tickets at cheaper rates amid skyrocketing price of aviation fuel, the industry is likely to incur an average loss of Rs 600 million per month despite an increase in number of air travelers, according to a high ranking official of Shree Airlines.
