Int’l tourists making illegal paragliding flights

POKHARA, March 31: A few days ago, two foreign paragliders made an illegal flight to Gorkha all the way from Pokhara. They spent a night in Gorkha and left the place the next day. Although they landed close to the District Police Office, Gorkha, the police did not bother to make any inquiry about their flight.

"I saw the tourists landing and taking off from near my office. However, we did not ask them anything as we did not know that such flight was illegal," Arjun Chand Thakuri, deputy superintendent of police (DSP) at District Police Office, Gorkha, told Republica. He also said he was unaware about the authority responsible for controlling paragliding flights.


According to tourism entrepreneurs, international tourists on unregulated paragliding flights would increase accident risks.

Nepal Airport Association (NAA) Vice-president Sobit Baniya said that international tourists on solo paragliding flights are making a mockery of the country's laws. "The government has not granted permission for paragliding flights in Gorkha. Such acts are in clear violation of the country's laws. Haphazard paragliding flights raise the risk of accidents," he said.

According to Baniya, the government has granted permission for paragliding only in the skies of Sarangkot, Mandredhunga, Toripani and Dhikidanda of Kaski, Swarek of Syangja, Bandipur of Tanahun, Godawari of Lalitpur and Shankarapur of Surkhet.

However, international paragliders are often found entering into no-flight zones. "The flights should take off and land at a designated places. They cannot just fly anywhere," he said.

"They cannot go beyond the area designated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal while landing and taking off. They should be more careful while flying in skies that are part of airplane route," said Baniya.

Baniya said that changing the landing area is illegal. According to him, pilots taking off from Sarangkot and other adjacent areas mostly change the landing area. Earlier last week, two gliders collided due to the busy air traffic. "Such acts have sent negative message that the sky of Pokhara is unsafe for paragliding," he added. He opined that such accidents could be averted if paragliding is properly regulated.

Dipak Baral, chief of Pokhara Airport, the agency responsible for the managing paragliding, said that flying into areas with no permits is illegal. "No permission has been granted for paragliding in Gorkha," he said. "We only come to know about violations when there is an accident. There is also no clear provision about the action to be taken against the violators," he added.

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