Flight operations again halted at PRIA on Friday

POKHARA, May 3: Flight operations at the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) have been halted once again. Despite resuming on Thursday after a week-long interruption due to haze, flights were halted again on Friday.

According to Pramod Nepal, information officer at PRIA, a flight arrived from Kathmandu on Thursday night and departed for Kathmandu on Friday morning. However, flights scheduled to arrive in Pokhara from Kathmandu were unable to reach Pokhara. Three aircraft - two from Buddha Air and one from Yeti Airlines - departed from Pokhara to Kathmandu on Friday morning, but none arrived from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The three aircraft that departed from Pokhara on Friday morning remained grounded in Pokhara on Thursday evening.

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The interruptions were attributed to poor visibility conditions. "While the airport was fully operational on Thursday, disruptions resumed on Friday," stated Nepal. "The visibility distance is fluctuating, making it uncertain when the airport will reopen today."

Since the previous Friday, PRIA has faced disruptions, with limited flights resuming after noon on Sunday. The airport was open only on Thursday this week before experiencing further disruption on Friday.

A minimum visibility of 3700 meters is required for landings at PRIA, but recent visibility in Pokhara has been between 1500 and 2000 meters, insufficient for safe landings. "The lack of adequate visibility for landing necessitated the suspension of flights," he explained. He further added that a visibility of 1600 meters is sufficient for aircraft to take off from Pokhara.

Currently, there are 20 flights operated by Buddha Air, 10 by Yeti Airlines, and 3 by Shree Airlines in Pokhara. In addition to Kathmandu, flights from Pokhara to Jomsom are scheduled from Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Bharatpur, and Pokhara's old airport. Uncertainty surrounding flight operations has resulted in decreased passenger numbers. Despite Thursday's flights, airlines reported that seats were not fully occupied as passengers were hesitant due to uncertainty over flight schedules.