KATHMANDU, Oct 11: International flights are set to restart from Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) after six months, with Thai AirAsia resuming its operation between Bhairahawa and Thailand from Sunday.
GBIA’s General Manager Pratap Babu Tiwari said the Thailand-based air operator has been given permission to operate two flights weekly. According to him, Jazeera Airways plans to resume its flights from the international airport after Tihar.
The GBIA officially came into operation on April 21, 2022. Since then, Thai AirAsia, Himalaya Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Fly Dubai, and Jazeera Airways have operated their commercial flights from the international airport but these air carriers have not been able to conduct their flights smoothly.
Thai AirAsia resuming its flights from GBIA from Sunday
Last April, four international airline companies operated temporary flights from Bhairahawa during the renovation period of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). During the review period, the GBIA was holding up to 20 flights per week, which lasted just for a single month.
Since then, regular flights have been suspended, while only a few chartered flights are being operated. Although the government has sought to promote the GBIA as an alternative to the TIA, international airline companies have been reluctant to conduct regular flights due to lack of passengers.
Citing the dismal performance of the GBIA, the government has enforced an action plan to provide concessions on air tickets, ground handling and air fuel to bring the international airport 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.
The much-hyped GBIA was constructed at a total cost of US$ 76 million, with significant contributions of US$ 37 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and approximately US$ 11 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development, while the remaining funding came from the Government of Nepal.
