After Bhairahawa’s Gautam Buddha Airport, Pokhara’s Regional International Airport is also preparing to start international flights in Pokhara. Although the physical structure and some infrastructure are still being built, the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority has scheduled January 1, 2023 as the date for the airport’s commercial operation.In other words, over the next five months, there will be direct flights and landings in Pokhara from all over the world.
The government is making preparations so that all technical aspects prior to the launch of regular flights can be completed within the five-month time frame. Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, visited the airport on Wednesday and stated that all preparations might be completed by January 1.
According to Jagannath Niraula, the authority’s spokeswoman, a committee of the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority is working on the airport’s organizational structure. The employees of Pokhara Airport, which is currently operating, will also be transferred to the new airport. Bikram Gautam, head of Pokhara Airport and head of Civil Aviation Authority of Pokhara, said, “We are still in the process of discussing how many employees will be transferred to the new airport and how to regularize the flights.”
While the construction of Pokhara airport was starting, the domestic air service company Buddha Air announced that after the airport was put into operation on 25th January 2078, it would keep 5 planes in Pokhara and conduct national-international flights. Apart from that, other airlines have not made such announcements yet. But the Civil Aviation Authority believes that by the time the airport comes into operation, the airline companies will also be ready to fly.
The Civil Aviation Authority expects that the Chinese Air Service Company will begin flights at this airport, which was built with Chinese money by a Chinese construction company. “Pokhara is a nature destination loved by Chinese tourists,” says Niraula, the authority’s spokesperson. “As a result, more traffic to Pokhara Airport is expected from Chinese airlines.”
When the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa was being built last year, no enterprise expressed interest in operating commercial flights there.However, Jazeera Airways has been conducting frequent international flights since the airport’s establishment. As a result, the authorities anticipates increased traffic at Pokhara Regional International Airport.
At this airport, A330 narrowbody capacity aircrafts currently owned by Nepal Airlines can take off and land. As it is an international airport, fire fighting and rescue services according to the same standards will also be available here.
