GUMLI, Oct 20: Flights have been continuously suspended at Resunga Airport for one month.
Flights have been continuously suspended since September 20 due to bad weather, according to Suman Thapa, the station chief of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) at Resunga Airport.
NAC’s twin otter aircraft has been operating flights twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays. Due to the continuous suspension of flights during the festive season, citizens have not been able to access the service.
Tihar, the second biggest festival of Nepalis, is just two weeks away. This is also the time when relatives who have been away for a year return home.
During this time, many Nepalis are looking to travel to their destinations by air. However, flights from Resunga Airport are currently unable to operate due to bad weather.
Flights suspended for a month at Resunga Airport
Citizens are dissatisfied with the continuous suspension of flights during the important festive season.
Flights from Kathmandu to Resunga Airport have been scheduled to depart at 6:30 AM, with return flights from Resunga to Kathmandu at 7:45 AM.
Flights have been continuously suspended due to cloud cover in the morning. Locals are calling for alternatives to be sought.
The journey from Kathmandu to Gulmi, which used to take 12 hours, now requires nearly 22 hours of arduous travel by vehicle due to damage from the monsoon and the expansion of new roads.
Flights were suspended from mid-June for two months due to bad weather.
There were some flights in mid-August. However, citizens have been deprived of the service due to the continuous suspension of flights during important festivals like Dashain and Tihar.
Resunga Airport has been granted permission for three weekly flights because of a significant increase in passenger demand.
However, NAC Station Chief Thapa mentioned that flights have only been operating on Fridays for some time now. With the connection of Gulmi to air travel, international tourists have started to enter the district's tourist sites recently.
Currently, the fare from Gulmi to Kathmandu is Rs 7,080, and from Kathmandu to Gulmi, it is Rs 7,280. Resunga Airport is located in Simichaur-10 of Resunga Municipality.
The airport can be reached after about 5 kilometers of unpaved road from the district headquarters, Tamghas. Commercial flights from the airport started on May 12 of last year.
Thapa mentioned that most of the passengers using the service from Gulmi are elderly, sick, and postpartum women.
