The state-owned airline company was operating two flights from Nepalgunj per week to Salle in Rukum and one flight to Chaurjahari, which serves as gateway to Jajorkot. [break]
"The head office´s decision to stop direct flights in those sectors reached us three days ago," said Mahesh Kumar Moktan, the chief of NAC regional office in Nepalgunj. He told Republica that Nepalgunj station has stopped the flights instantly.
The decision has created new difficulty for the people living in hill districts in midwestern region who were largely dependent on those flights for travel and emergency supply of goods and services. They have flayed the decision and demanded resumption of flights.
"The flights have been withheld at a time when we were facing problems getting hold of tickets. This has affected us severely," said Birbal Oli, a resident of Chaurjahari.
Even though Rukum is linked with the national roads network, regular passenger and cargo services are still not available in the district. Likewise, there is no bus service to Jajarkot. "NAC´s decision has cut us off from the markets and key services," said Oli.
NAC official Moktan, meanwhile, said that the corporation was forced to stop the flights due to the lack of adequate number of planes and pilots. "That has forced us to cut flights across the country, not just in Jajorkot and Salle," said he.
Citing similar reasons, the corporation had slashed its flights on Nepalgunj-Salle route also two years ago. Prior to that, NAC was operating four flights per week on the route. All the flights would be packed.
Currently, NAC is operating flights in hill districts with four Twin otters. NAC officials further said that the corporation slashed the flights because the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA) did not heed its request to jack up fares.
NAC still operates two flights on Nepalgunj-Salle-Kathmandu route and one flight on Nepalgunj-Chaurjahari-Kathmandu route per week. But because these flights are operated as ´transit flights´, locals complained the corporation sells tickets to them only when it does not find passengers to Kathmandu.
"The corporation does not sell us tickets until it finds passengers to Kathmandu. So, these transit flights are effectively not meant for us," said Oli. NAC staffs too admit this.
NAC was operating flights to eight far- and midwestern hill districts, including Humla, Jumla, Rara, Bajura, Bajhang, Salle, Chaurjahari and Dolpa from Nepalgunj. The demand for flights has only grown over the years. But the corporation, citing its limitations has continued to slash and suspend flights.
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