GBIA: Thai AirAsia International Flights set to resume

By Our Correspondent,Bhairahawa, Oct. 12: Regular international flights are set to resume from Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) in Bhairahawa, after a hiatus of around six months without international services.

Thai AirAsia is preparing to start international flights between Bhairahawa and Thailand from October 12.

According to Pratap Babu Tiwari, airport's General Manager, Thai AirAsia has been granted permission for two flights per week. “Thai AirAsia has been authorised to operate two flights a week starting from 12 October. Other companies, including Jazeera Airways, are also in the preparatory stage. Jazeera plans to start flights after Tihar festival,” Tiwari said.

Last April, four foreign airlines temporarily operated flights from Bhairahawa while Tribhuvan International Airport was undergoing maintenance. During that time, up to 20 flights were operating weekly for a month. However, since then, regular flights have ceased, and only a few charter flights have taken place.

Gautam Buddha International Airport, formally inaugurated on May 16, 2022, coinciding with the 2566th Buddha Jayanti, saw initial commercial flights operated by Nepal Airlines, Fly Dubai, Jazeera Airways, Thai AirAsia and Himalaya Airlines. 

However, the lack of continuous regular flights has negatively affected hotel and tourism businesses in and around Bhairahawa.

According to Netra Acharya, President of the Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the private sector invested around Rs. 100 billion in the hope of the airport becoming operational.

However, with flights halted, many businesses are struggling to pay loan instalments and interest, putting them in crisis. Acharya said, “Some businesspeople have already sold their star-rated hotels, and several hotels under construction have been stopped midway.”

In the five years since the airport became operational, a total of 1,057 international flights and landings have occurred. During this period, 29,621 passengers arrived in Bhairahawa, and 31,641 departed. A total of 61,254 passengers have used the airport so far.

In the last fiscal year (2024/25), there were 278 flights, with 12,830 passengers arriving and 11,128 departing from Bhairahawa. In the current year, only 10 charter flights have taken place.

To attract foreign airlines, the government has introduced various concessions for Bhairahawa and Pokhara airports. These include a waiver of the international passenger service charge, full exemption from parking, landing, and navigation fees, a 75 per cent discount on ground handling charges and a discount on fuel.

However, business operators claim that the lack of necessary government offices at the airport, a Kathmandu-centric monopoly on air ticket sales, and management weaknesses are causing difficulties in maintaining regular flight operations.