Nepalgunj-Janakpur flights from today

By Our Correspondent,Nepalgunj, Feb. 17: Preparations have reached the final stage to conduct inter-city flight services between Nepalgunj of Lumbini Province and Janakpur of Madhes Province.

 In a new step towards materialising the service, Yeti Airlines is conducting two direct promotional flights from Nepalgunj to Janakpur on Saturday, February 17, and Monday, February 19. 

This service is being implemented for the convenience of travellers and pilgrims who come to visit the Bageshwari Temple in Nepalgunj and the Janaki Temple in Janakpur, along with the pilgrims who want to visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, India. The distance between Nepalgunj and Ayodhya is 178 km. Tourism entrepreneurs are elated by the news. 

Krishna Prasad Shrestha, Coordinator of Tourism Promotion Forum, Banke, said that he was very happy that the efforts made for a long have now started to bear fruit. He said that the direct air flight would connect the two religious cities of the Tarai and support tourism development. Keshav Neupane, a hotelier of Nepalgunj, stated that earlier efforts to establish air connectivity between Nepalgunj and Pokhara have resulted in an increased number of tourists. 

He said that by connecting Janaki Temple and Bageshwari Temple with Ram Temple in Ayodhya and adding Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage to the package, the possibility of religious tourism could be promoted in the region. 

Shriram Sigdel, President of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATA) Banke Chapter, said that the Association was working with plans to move forward by making Nepalgunj, the center of western Nepal a major transit for all types of tourism.

He said that there was no problem in making this city a major transit for tourism as it is easy to go to Kailash Mansarovar, Rara Lake, Swargadwari Ashram and Ayodhya from Nepalgunj. Sigdel also said that Nepalgunj-Janakpur direct air flight which will start from Saturday will add another dimension to it.

Prashant Bista, Mayor of Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan City, expressed his gratitude to Yeti Airlines for starting the flight service as per the demand of tourism professionals in the region.

Chief of Yeti Airlines' Nepalgunj Office, Dilip Karki, said that two charter flights will be made from Nepalgunj to Janakpur on Saturday and Monday at the request of NATTA Banke to develop religious tourism.

He said that now two flights are being conducted to gauge the situation of the market and passengers and if the demand and number of passengers are good, the service would be provided regularly.