Kathmandu. Flights to Australia are going to be operated from Pokhara International Airport. China’s Sichuan Airlines is preparing to fly to Australia via Chengdu. Sichuan Airlines has sought permission from the regulatory Nepal Civil Aviation Authority for this purpose.
According to Gyanendra Bhol, information officer of the authority, Sichuan Airlines has sought permission to fly to Australia via Chengdu. He said that informal discussions have been held for the flight permission and preparations are being made to grant permission after completing the necessary procedures.
The company plans to fly from next September. “Sichuan Airlines has planned to fly to Australia from Pokhara. There have been informal talks about flying to Australia from Pokhara via Chengdu. Bilateral discussions are underway to formally finalize the process. The flight schedule will be submitted by the concerned airline soon,” said information officer Bhol.
It is believed that this flight will make it easier for Nepalis traveling to and from Australia.
Earlier, Sichuan Airlines had operated charter flights to Pokhara Airport for some time. The company wants to operate regular flights to Australia as a new destination. The airline’s Airbus ‘A’ 319 first started flying to Pokhara Airport on Ashar 6, 2080 BS.
The chartered flight was operated to bring and take tourists, including Chinese representatives, athletes, and spectators, who were participating in the ‘Nepal-China Friendship Dragon Boat Race Festival 2023’ held at Fewa Lake on Ashar 8 and 9.
According to Jagannath Niraula, General Manager of Pokhara International Airport, only Himalaya Airlines is operating regular flights to Pokhara. The company plans to operate flights to Australia from September.
Meanwhile, Bhutan’s private airline Bhutan Airlines (TASI) is also preparing to operate chartered flights to Pokhara Airport. The airline has sought permission for two to three chartered flights from Pokhara to Paro International Airport, said Bhol, Information Officer of the Authority. According to him, Bhutan Airlines has sought permission for passenger chartered flights for four days on September 28 and October.
Bhutan Airlines had already said it would fly. “If chartered flights are sustainable, it has already been decided that a ‘fifth freedom flight’ will be given to airlines from one country to another via Pokhara, just like Kathmandu, from Pokhara and Bhairahawa. Initially, Bhutan Airlines will fly Kathmandu-Paro-Kathmandu. If the flights become regular, the airline plans to fly Paro-Pokhara-Delhi and Delhi-Pokhara-Paro,” said Information Officer Bhull. The authority has stated that Bhutan Airlines will be granted permission to fly within a few days.
Currently, Himalaya Airlines is operating regular flights once a week at Pokhara International Airport. Himalaya is operating flights connecting Kathmandu-Lhasa-Pokhara-Lhasa-Kathmandu.
Himalaya started its first commercial flight two years after Pokhara International Airport came into operation. The authority believes that if Himalaya, along with Sichuan and Bhutan Airlines, operates flights at the airport, the airport will become more operational and it will be easier for passengers to reach their destinations.
Pokhara International Airport, a project of national pride, was inaugurated on 17 Poush 2079 BS. 71 years after Tribhuvan International Airport came into operation, Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa, Rupandehi, came into operation as the second international airport in the country. Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated six months later. International flights at this airport are continuing to expand.
Pokhara Airport, spread over an area of 3,900 ropanis, was built at a cost of approximately 22 billion. This airport, which has a capacity to serve 800,000 passengers annually, has a runway 2,500 meters long and 45 meters wide.
Currently, Bhutan’s government airline Druk Air and Bhutan Airlines are operating regular flights to Kathmandu. Bhutan Airlines is operating four flights a week via Paro-Kathmandu-Delhi and Delhi-Kathmandu-Paro using the ‘Fifth Freedom Flight’.
Druk Air is conducting a Paro-Kathmandu-Paro-Delhi-Kathmandu ‘over flight’. It is believed that if the service is operated for four days on September 28 and October, it will also help in its promotion.
According to the authority, although there is no problem in granting permission for chartered flights, permission will now be given for regular flights to fly via Pokhara and Bhairahawa bases. Nepal currently has air service agreements with 42 countries. Bhairahawa and Pokhara flights will be added when the air service agreements are reviewed.
Information Officer Bhol said that there is no problem in allowing any airline company to operate chartered flights from Pokhara and Bhairahawa. According to the authority, 30 airlines, including three Nepali air service providers, have been operating international flights via Tribhuvan International Airport. (RSS)