GBIA fails to attract international airlines

By Laxman Paudel,Bhairahawa, Apr. 6: The Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) in Bhairahawa attracted much attention when it was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on May 16 last year. However, it has not been able to attract international flights in equal measure.

Only one international carrier, Kuwait's Jazeera Airways, conducts flights to and from the airport, which cost around Rs. 43 billion to build. Problems relating to air routes and delays in the installation of necessary equipment have kept foreign airlines at bay. And according to experts, both of these require holding talks with India to solve.

Jazeera started flying to Bhairahawa from the day of its inauguration. It operated two flights a week till October, after which it stopped, citing bad winter weather. It resumed flying from March.

Along with Jazeera, Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China joint venture established in 2014, also operates charter flights from here.

GBIA currently has Category 1 and Category 2 Instrument Landing System (ILS) equipment. Installing additional advanced machines belonging to Category 2 can help the airport facilitate aircraft landings in bad weather as well. However, since the range of these machines would reach its territory, India needs to approve Nepal using them. 

If Nepal uses those machines unilaterally without its neighbour's consent, it will not be able to claim compensation in the event of accidents or damages. 

Talking to The Rising Nepal, an employee of GBIA, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said that airlines from over two dozen countries were looking to fly to Bhairahawa. 

But questions around profits, sustainability, security and ground services had prevented them from formally approaching Nepali authorities. 

"This is a failure on the part of the government," complained Rachana Pant, provincial president of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) in Lumbini. "If foreign airlines are not coming, then the national flag carrier [Nepal Airlines Corporation] should fly here to invigourate the local economy."

Govinda Gyawali, president of Lumbini Hotel Association, said that GBIA's current state had put billions of rupees invested by the private sector here at risk. 

"This is a result of the government agencies building a project with little thought for its long-term operation," he said.