KATHMANDU, Nov 5: The Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), which struggled to get full-fledged business in over two years’ of its inception, is likely to witness brighter side in the coming days as an increasing number of international airline companies are showing interest to conduct their business from the new airport.
Thai AirAsia has started its operation from the GBIA in Bhairahawa from Sunday along with resuming its flights to and from Kathmandu-based Tribhuvan International Airport. The airline company, which is set to conduct its flight every Mondays and Thursdays, has become the fourth airline to operate commercial flights at the country’s second international airport. The government authority has approved schedules for the company on condition that it is required to operate flights simultaneously to both Kathmandu and Bhairahawa.
Calibration flights at GBIA from today
The GBIA was ready for operation on April 21, 2022. The airport was constructed at a total cost of US $76 million, with significant contributions of $37 million from the Asian Development Bank. Despite creating a huge debt burden to the country, the international airport has failed to generate notable revenue to the government over the period.
Hansa Raj Pandey, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), said international flights at the GBIA are gradually expanding. According to him, while the CAAN is working to operate the airport at full capacity, the government is also keen to maximize commercial flights at the GBIA by offering a number of facilities to the companies concerned.
Citing the dismal performance of the GBIA and Pokhara Regional International Airport, the government formed a task force led by the secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Raj Kumar Shrestha in August this year. Two weeks ago, the government decided to provide concessions based on the recommendations provided by the task force formed to study the options and measures to bring the two airports into full operation.
The government has enforced an action plan to provide concessions on air tickets, ground handling and air fuel till mid-September 2026 to bring the two international airports into operation at full capacity. In this regard, the government has waived service fee on ground handling and removal of VAT on air tickets, among others.
Previously, Kuwait's Jazeera Airways, Nepal’s Himalaya Airlines, and the national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines, operated flights from GBIA. Jazeera Airways has announced that it will resume flights from this airport starting Saturday, November 9. After suspending flights for 10 months, the airline is set to restart operations at the same airport three days a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Similarly, the UAE’s national flag-carrier, Fly Dubai, is also starting its daily flights from November 10. The company is operating flights daily on the Dubai–Bhairahawa and Bhairahawa–Kathmandu–Dubai routes.
Likewise, Nepal Airlines’ wide-body A330 aircraft has conducted a test flight at the airport. Last year, Nepal Airlines began flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Bhairahawa's GBIA.
