KATHMANDU, March 20: Flights from the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) were canceled due to reduced visibility caused by a smoke and fog cover.

POKHARA, Jan 2: On June 18, a Sichuan Airlines flight from Chengdu, China, landed at Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), which was the first international flight with passengers after the airport came into operation. The aircraft from Sichuan landed in Pokhara with 84 Chinese guests who arrived to participate in the Dragon Boat Race Festival held at Fewa Lake. The plane returned empty via Kathmandu.

POKHARA, Nov 21: The influx of foreign visitors has surged during the festive holidays and the domestic tourist season, resulting in increased passenger traffic on the Pokhara-Kathmandu-Pokhara air route. Despite the availability of 27 daily flights by various airlines on this route, passengers are struggling to secure air tickets due to the heightened demand. The Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) reports approximately 4,000 air passengers per day.

POKHARA, Sept 9: The Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) welcomed its first international commercial flight after it came into commercial operation some eight months ago.

POKHARA, Sep 8: The Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) marked its eighth month of operations on September 1 since becoming officially operational on  January 1, 2023. Despite its international status, PRIA has been limited to domestic flights until now, with regular international flights yet to be confirmed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

POKHARA, July 31: An unexpected delay occurred at the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) when a mouse was spotted on board a Yeti Airlines flight, which was scheduled to depart for Kathmandu.

POKHARA, July 11: A delegation headed by Pawan Kumar Prajapati, President of the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently submitted a letter to Bikram Gautam, Director of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal at Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), demanding a reduction in the parking fees.

KATHMANDU, July 8: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has clarified that Qatar Airlines has not expressed any interest in operating commercial flights from Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA).

KATHMANDU, June 3: After six months of operation, Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) will have its first international flight. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), China's Sichuan Airlines has offered two charter flights to Chengdu-Pokhara.

POKHARA, May 19: The announcement to begin the chartered flights from Pokhara to different cities of China from June 23 has made tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara cautiously optimistic.

KATHMANDU, March 23: After the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) came into operation; commercial paragliding that had been taking place in the sky of Sarangkot was transferred to Mandre Dhunga, about five kilometers west of Sarangkot. During the tourist season, the paragliding area used to be very busy with one after another flight in the sky of Sarangkot, but the adventure activity has not gained the expected momentum in Mandre Dhunga, according to tourism entrepreneurs.

POKHARA, Feb 22: The Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) is getting ready for night flights from Thursday. Until now, flights are being operated only during the day time, but now the runway will be opened for night flights as well. Airlines have also started making necessary preparations for night flights.

POKHARA, Feb 22: His real name is Ishwar KC, but on social media, his name is 'Ishu Bro'. A video shot by KC on Monday afternoon is now viral on social media. The video is related to the air hazard caused by birds in Pokhara.

KATHMANDU, Feb 19: Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) will be equipped with the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) system in a week.

POKHARA, Feb 16: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Sudan Kiranti has said that efforts are being made to connect Pokhara to international cities through an air network. In a press conference organized by Press Center Nepal Gandaki Province at Pokhara Regional International Airport on Thursday, Minister Kiranti called Pokhara an international city.

POKHARA, Feb 14: Bijayapur River is located in the east of the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA). To the south lies the Seti River. The Bijaypur River is closer to the runway. As soon as the aircraft, which is in the process of landing, crosses the river, it reaches the runway.

POKHARA, Feb 9: Night flights will be possible at Pokhara Regional International Airport from February 23 onwards. This new airport has been operational since January 1. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said that this airport, which is currently operating only during the day time, can be operated at night after February 23.

POKHARA, Jan 20: The recent plane crash of Yeti Airlines in Pokhara, which resulted in a large number of deaths, has had a significant impact not only on the loss of human life but also on the tourism industry. As many as 72 people, including 15 foreign tourists, died in the crash. As a result of the incident, local businesses have reported a decrease in the number of foreign and domestic tourists visiting Pokhara.

POKHARA, Jan 17: On Sunday, an ATR72-500 series plane of Yeti Airlines with call sign 9N ANC crashed in Pokhara killing 72 passengers. The cause of the accident has not yet been identified. There are lots of speculations about the cause of the accident. The government has formed an investigation committee to study the incident. The process of identifying the dead bodies of the crash victims and handing them over to their relatives is currently underway.

POKHARA, Jan 8: After the start of commercial flights at the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) in Pokhara, Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is going to build an aviation fuel depot at the airport at a cost of around Rs 680 million. The corporation has leased a piece of land at PRIA from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to build the aviation fuel depot.

POKHARA, Jan 6: Due to the opening of the Pokhara Regional International Airport, paragliding activities that previously took place from Sarangkot for two and a half decades have been relocated to Mandredhunga, which is 5 kilometers west of Sarangkot. Paragliding has been suspended in Sarangkot since January 1 after the international airport came into operation.

With its inauguration by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday, the first day of the ‘English New Year’ 2023, the long-awaited Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) has formally come into operation.

KASKI, Jan 1: The newly-built Pokhara Regional International Airport– the first project implemented in Nepal as a part of the China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation-- is being inaugurated on Sunday amid a special ceremony in Pokhara.

POKHARA, Dec 30: Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) is coming into operation from January 1, 2023. There are concerns everywhere about the future of paragliding in the sky of Pokhara once the newly-built airport comes into operation.

POKHARA, Dec 28: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to ban paragliding from Sarangkot starting from January 1 after the Pokhara Regional International Airport comes into operation. Paragliding, which is one of the major attractions of Pokhara, will be allowed only from Mandredhunga, which lies about 5 km west of Sarangkot.

KATHMANDU, Dec 22: Yeti Airlines has geared up preparation to operate flights from Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) as Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is set to inaugurate the airport on January 1, 2023.

POKHARA, Dec 22: Pokhara Regional International Airport is coming into operation from January 1.

POKHARA, Dec 20: Buddha Air, a leading private sector airline company of Nepal, is all set to operate the first flight from Pokhara Regional International Airport on January 1, when the newly-upgraded airport will come into operation. Buddha Air has prepared its flight schedule for the first flight from Pokhara to Varanasi of India on the first day of the English New Year (January 1, 2023).

KATHMANDU, Dec 15: The mechanical test flight report conducted at Pokhara Regional International Airport will be made public on Friday. Aero Thai's team conducted a mechanical test flight (calibration flights) from November 21 to 27.

POKHARA, Dec 14: After the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) comes into operation from January 1, it is not yet certain what will happen to the paragliding flights in the skies here. However, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is going to reduce the time so that paragliding continues in the skies of Pokhara even for only three hours a day.

POKHARA, Dec 13: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is all set to inaugurate the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) on January 1. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal CAAN) is preparing to operate the airport from the first day of the English New Year (January 1, 2023). Top leaders of various political parties including Prime Minister Deuba will attend the inauguration of the airport in Pokhara on January 1.

POKHARA, Dec 10: Buddha Air is going to make its first international flight from Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), which will be operational from January 1, 2023. For this, the company has submitted an application for permission to the regulatory body, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

There are no exact statistics, but over 60 percent of the tourists who land at the Kathmandu airport visit Pokhara. There would certainly be a further increase in the number of tourists in Pokhara after the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) comes into operation.

POKHARA, Nov 30: The mechanical test (calibration flight) has been completed at the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), which is being prepared to be put into operation from the first week of January, 2023. Mechanical testing of the airport was done for a week. However, the report has not  arrived yet.

POKHARA, Nov 21: The calibration flight is starting at the Pokhara Regional International Airport from today (Monday) to test the capability of the connecting devices.

POKHARA, Nov 19: An Aero Thai aircraft has arrived in Pokhara for calibration flights (mechanical test) at the Pokhara Regional International Airport.

KATHMANDU, Nov 14: Buddha Air, one of the  leading private carriers in Nepal, will operate three flights to India from the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA).

POKHARA, Oct 30: It's almost three months ago that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the regulatory body of Nepal's airspace, set the date of operation of Pokhara Regional International Airport on January 1, 2023. If the airport starts its operation on the day specified by the authority, the flights should operate from the airport in the next two months.

POKHARA, Oct 24: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has selected the construction company for earthwork in Ritthepani hill and soil stabilization and other associated works at the east approach of Pokhara Regional International Airport. The Ritthepani hill is considered an obstruction in the operation of Pokhara Regional International Airport.

POKHARA, Oct 13: One of the main obstacles to bring Pokhara Regional International Airport into operation is cutting off the Ritthepani hill, which has not yet started. Ritthepani hill lies on the east of Pokhara Regional International Airport's 'approach' area. As the work of cutting off the hill on the approach has not started, the calibration flight has also been pushed back as a result.

KATHMANDU, August 8: The Pokhara Regional International Airport will officially come into operation from January 1, 2023. A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) on Sunday took a decision to this effect, said the CAAN Spokesperson Jagannath Niraula.

POKHARA, JUNE 29: The road to cross the Ritthepani hill that falls on the eastern side of the approach of the Pokhara Regional International Airport, whose physical infrastructure is in the final stages of construction, has been opened. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the regulatory body for the airspace, and the Forest Department reached an agreement only on Tuesday to cut down the hill and the trees there.

POKHARA, June 5: All works related to internal infrastructure of the Pokhara Regional International Airport, a project of national pride have been completed. According to the project, the airport is fully ready for take-offs and landing after all the work of internal infrastructure was completed.

KATHMANDU, May 27: Minister for Urban Development Ram Kumari Jhakri has said neither Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) nor Pokhara Regional International Airport can serve the purpose of Nijgadh International Airport.

POKHARA, March 30: The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Pokhara Regional International Airport on April 13, 2016. The Chinese company China CAMCE, which took over the construction of the airport with the target of completing it by July 10, 2021, started the work one and a half years after the foundation stone was laid. In the meantime, the COVID-19 pandemic spread. However, the Chinese company continued to accelerate construction.

POKHARA, Oct 11: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has inspected the Pokhara Regional International Airport which is currently under construction. During the inspection, PM Deuba was informed about the problems faced in the construction process.

KATHMANDU, Dec 17: The state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has received the commercial ground handling permission for Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara Regional International Airport.

POKHARA, Feb 2: 20 Chinese workers who have been working in the construction work of the Pokhara Regional International Airport have been stranded back home due to the widespread of coronavirus in China.

POKHARA, Dec 14: After making progress in the construction of Pokhara Regional International Airport, authorities are now grappling with the locals' protests over land acquisition, which is set to create some roadblocks for the project if not delay it.

KATHMANDU, Sept 22: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yogesh Bhattarai has said that the under-construction Pokhara Regional International Airport is expected to come into operation before the stipulated time.