Bhairahawa, Nov. 7: Nepal Airlines is all set to commence flights from the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) in Bhairahawa to Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting on Friday, November 8.
The national carrier will operate flights four times a week on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, departing from Kathmandu at 9:30 pm and collecting passengers in Bhairahawa for about half an hour later before heading to Dubai.
Alongside Nepal Airlines, Fly Dubai from the UAE, Jazeera Airways from Kuwait and Thai AirAsia from Thailand are also scheduled to conduct regular flights from the GBIA in Bhairahawa – gateway to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.
According to the Office of the GBIA, Thai AirAsia has already begun its services from the airport from November 3 with two flights per week. Airport spokesperson Binod Raut said that the next flight to Bangkok is scheduled for November 8 with introductory one-way fares starting at Rs. 12,000.
Likewise, Fly Dubai is set to launch its service on November 9, followed by Jazeera Airways the next day. The spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Gyanendra Bhul, informed that a total of four airlines, including Nepal Airlines, are currently scheduled to fly from Bhairahawa, with interest expressed by other international carriers such as Qatar Airways and Air Arabia, though their schedules have yet to be approved.
However, local tourism entrepreneurs have raised concerns about potential flight cancellations due to low demand of passengers, a problem seen in the past. Earlier, Jazeera Airways and other carriers had suspended operations within a month of their service commencement due to insufficient passengers.
Local business owners have invested heavily, targeting the passenger flow at the GBIA. CP Shrestha, a tourism entrepreneur, stated that the uncertainty and irregularity of international flights have put nearly Rs. 80 billion of private sector investment in hotels and tourism infrastructure and businesses at risk.
According to Sagar Adhikari, former president of the Lumbini Province chapter of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), the commitment of three airlines to regular flights has brought a renewed sense of optimism not only to Bhairahawa but to the entire region.
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