Kathmandu – Nepal Airlines Corporation (Nepal Airlines) is going to fly to New Delhi, India from Gautam Budh International Airport located at Bhairahawa in Rupandehi. National flag carrier Nepal Airlines is going to fly to New Delhi as its first international flight from Gautam Buddha Airport from 12th of November.
Archana Khadka, spokesperson of the corporation, informed that preparations are being made to operate four weekly flights between Bhairahawa and New Delhi. According to him, the flight schedule for flying on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday has been submitted to the authority for approval.
Nigam’s narrow body A320 aircraft will fly from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa via New Delhi. Accordingly, Nepal Airlines will reach Delhi from Kathmandu and return to Bhairahawa. After disembarking passengers at Bhairahawa, the ship will return to Kathmandu. The Kathmandu-New Delhi destination will take one hour and 15 minutes, while the flight from Delhi will take one hour to Bhairahawa.
Director General of Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Pradeep Adhikari informed that Nepal Airlines has been given permission to fly to Delhi from Bhairahawa. Nepal Airlines had submitted documents for Kathmandu-Delhi Bhairahawa flight permission, the authority has sent it to Kathmandu Airport for the flight schedule. Permission has been given because we are flying from Bhairahawa, he said.
Earlier, Nepal Airlines was operating two daily flights between Kathmandu and New Delhi. After the Authority made mandatory arrangements for airline companies that operate more than three daily flights from Tribhuvan International Airport to also fly from Bhairahawa, Delhi Nepal Airlines of the corporation was reduced to 10 flights a week. Because of this, Himalaya Airlines started chartered flights from Gautam Buddha Airport from 17th November.
When the Nepal Airlines plane reaches Delhi and returns to Kathmandu via Bhairahawa, it has to come to Kathmandu free of charge from Bhairahawa. Spokesperson Khadka said that discussions are being held on what to do to bring passengers to Kathmandu from Bhairahawa as well.
“There is a discussion on whether to take passengers from Bhairawa and bring them to Kathmandu,” he said. Nepal Airlines has been flying to Mumbai, India three days a week on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday and Bangalore three days a week on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Nepal Airlines has been flying international flights to 10 destinations in eight countries, including three destinations in India. The airline has two widebody A-330 and two narrowbody A-320 aircraft for international flights. Kuwait’s Jazeera Airlines is currently operating three flights a week from Gautam Budh International Airport, which has been operational since 2nd May 2079.
At the Gautam Budh International Airport, which is a project of national pride, the regulatory body made a binding arrangement to attract international airlines by conducting at least one international flight by domestic companies. The Authority has already requested in writing five international airlines including two Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines to fly from Gautam Budh Airport.
