Tara Air successfully completes its test flight in Gulmi

Published On: January 8, 2023 02:30 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, Jan 8: The certification (proving) flight of Tara Air has been successfully completed at Resunga Airport in collaboration with Resunga Municipality of Gulmi,

Nine N ALO TwinOtter-400 aircraft of Tara Air took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at 11:14 this morning and landed at Resunga Airport at Simichour located in Resunga Municipality-10 of Gulmi at 12 PM. Even before this, Tara Air had conducted a test flight on June 8, 2018.

According to Tara Air's spokesperson Sudarshan Bertaula, the aircraft was piloted by senior pilots of Tara Air, Captain Santosh Kumar Shah and Captain Sanjib Shrestha. On the aircraft were elected MP Chandra Bhandari from Gulmi District, UML Deputy Secretary General Pradeep Gyawali, Provincial Assembly Member Dhanendra Bahadur Karki, CPN (United Socialist) Party Secretary Ram Kumari Jhakri, political personalities including Resunga Municipality Chief Khildhawaj Panthi and officials of Tara Air and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

Spokesperson Bertaula also said thatwith the completion of the proving flight on Sunday, the process of regular flight will be started. For regular flights, it will take at least 2 to 3 weeks. Initially, Tara Air will fly to this airport in coordination with Resunga Municipality.

The problem of regularizing remote flights

The flights in the remote areas are always irregular. Due to the high cost of air fuel, lack of two-way passengers, the need to return before reaching the destination due to rapid weather changes, and the absence of any kind of concession from the government, flights in these areas have become more expensive, which has put a financial burden on both passengers and airlines.

Some of the airports built in remote areas are not fully equipped with physical infrastructure; the safety risk is increased due to the lack of necessary navigation equipment, passenger terminal building and wire fence. Similarly, lack of modern equipment to inform the weather of the airport and the in-route, there is a situation of having to fly risky due to the lack of sufficient information for the flight. If the state does not make a short-term and long-term plan to regularize flights in remote areas, flights in these areas will remain closed forever, accoding to the airlines.