TANAHU, March 24: A test flight of paragliding has been successfully conducted in Byas Municipality of Tanahu district. Three pilots took off from Siddhi Danda and landed at Archalchaur on Saturday. Chair of Ward 11 of the municipality, Nir Bahadur Khadka, flew in the inaugural test flights.
Officials have claimed that paragliding flights are commercially viable in the district. Speaking at an event organized on the occasion, Mayor of Byas Municipality Baikuntha Neupane claimed that the municipality could give a viable alternative to relocate Pokhara's paragliding business after the international airport comes into operation in Pokhara. Promotion of paragliding is a priority of the municipality, according to Neupane.
Efforts we put into our work are hardly visible
After the successful test flight, ward chair Khadka said: "Paragliding will be a new product of the municipality to attract foreign tourists."
Raju Acharya, promoter of Pokhara-based Team Five Paragliding Company, said that paragliding in this location is appropriate and has a possibility of commercial operation. Acharya is also running paragliding flights in Bandipur.
The municipality has said that tourism is the second priority sector after agriculture. The municipality informed that they will now seek permission from the concerned authorities for operation of paragliding flights.