KATHMANDU: Once a bustling hub during peak travel seasons, Ramechhap Airport has now fallen silent, with no regular flights operating for months. The airport, located in Manthali of Ramechhap district, is the closest alternative to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport for flights to eastern Nepal but currently lies idle.
Flights from Ramechhap are largely limited to the tourist season, when heavy traffic at Kathmandu airport prompts airlines to divert foreign trekkers to Lukla via Manthali. During that period, tourists are transported by road from Kathmandu to Ramechhap before boarding flights to Solukhumbu.
With Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath festivals approaching, airlines have already opened advance bookings for flights to other districts. However, Ramechhap residents complain that no such arrangements have been made for them, leaving locals unable to benefit from the airport situated in their own district.
The seasonal nature of flights has also affected the local economy. Shops and hotels around the airport remain deserted outside the tourist season. “It’s unfortunate that locals don’t get access to air services despite having an airport here. Political leaders and lawmakers need to push for this facility,” said Birendra Shrestha, a local resident.
Shrestha pointed out the difficulties residents face traveling to Kathmandu by road. “People must travel either 125 kilometers via the BP Highway or nearly 200 kilometers through Tamakoshi–Charikot–Mude along the Pushpalal Highway. Both routes are risky after last year’s floods damaged many sections of the roads,” he said.
Locals further noted that the district lacks well-equipped ambulances, and without reliable road connections, critically ill patients struggle to reach Kathmandu.
Mayor of Manthali Municipality, Lab Shrestha, said his office has repeatedly pressed for regular flights at the airport to promote tourism and serve the community, but no concrete outcome has been reached.
“We even submitted a memorandum to the Tourism Minister along with federal lawmakers from the district. The minister gave positive assurances, but no action has followed, leaving people disillusioned with their elected representatives,” he remarked.
Former state minister and federal lawmaker Purna Bahadur Tamang said efforts are underway to resume regular flights. “I am working to ensure that flights are restarted before Dashain so that Ramechhap residents can also benefit from the airport,” he said.
Currently, airlines such as Sita Air, Tara Air, and Summit Air operate 60–65 flights during the Lukla tourist season from Ramechhap. Locals, however, have demanded that these airlines also include regular services so residents and patients can travel alongside tourists.
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