Bhairahawa airport conducts 729 int'l flights

BY SHYAM SHANKAR PANDEY,Lumbini, Jan. 6: The Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) in Bhairahawa has operated 729 international flights as of  Sunday, with 45,573 passengers arriving and departing. The commercial operation of international flights from the airport began on May 16, 2022, coinciding with the Buddha Purnima. 

According to the airport, in the 31.5 months of operation, 21,279 passengers have arrived in Bhairahawa while 24,294 passengers have departed. 

"There was a suspension of flights for about 10 months in between. We have continuously worked with various airlines and local businesses to resume regular operations," said Pratap Babu Tiwari, the General Manager of GBIA.

 "In April/May, the office submitted an operational plan to the head office of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). We briefed the plan to the Prime Minister, Ministers, Chief Minister of the Province, Chief Secretary and Secretaries during meetings."

Tiwari informed that considering the possible impact of winter weather conditions such as flight delays or diversions, the airport had proposed a satellite-based RNP-AR landing procedure as an alternative when the chance to bring the Instrumental Landing System (ILS) into operation was impossible. 

Subsequently, the government of Nepal and the Cabinet approved the operational plan presented by the CAAN. This included provisions for passenger service fees, landing, parking, and navigation and tourism fees, with 100 per cent discounts, 75 per cent discount on handling, and a $100 discount on one kilolitre of aviation fuel. Additionally, arrangements were made for manpower, visa centres and medical checks to be done in Bhairahawa and Pokhara.

As a result, some airlines recently resumed operations from here, leading to the current status of airport operations. 

After the 10-month suspension of flights, which had caused disappointment, international flights resumed on November 3, with five airlines now operating flights. 

In the last two months, November and December 2024, the airport handled 229 international flights and received 4,383 passengers. Additionally, 3,774 passengers departed, serving a total of 8,157 passengers while 8,462 passengers transited through the airport. 

Among them, 747 foreign nationals. The majority of foreign passengers arrived via Jazeera Airways (4,357), followed by Fly Dubai (2,089) and Thai AirAsia (1,045). In 2024, the airport served 9,467 passengers with 297 international flights. 

In the past few weeks, four of the five international airlines, except for Nepal Airlines, have suspended flights for various reasons. However, Fly Dubai has announced the resumption of flights from January 13 and Jazeera Airways will resume operations on January 31.