MUSTANG: Flights on the Pokhara–Jomsom route have resumed after a three-month suspension caused by unfavorable winter weather and the off-season for tourism.
According to the Civil Aviation Office Jomsom, preparations had been made to restart flights on Monday. However, despite scheduled flights by Tara Air on Monday and by both Tara Air and Summit Air on Tuesday, the services could not operate due to adverse weather conditions.
Earlier, Tara Air had decided to suspend Pokhara–Jomsom flights from December 4 to March 1. Similarly, Summit Air had halted its operations on the route from December 1 to February 1.
The flights, which were suspended due to extreme winter cold, possible snowfall and unfavorable weather, have now been brought back into operation slightly later than the initially planned schedule.
Tara Air had planned to resume flights from March 1, but the service was delayed by about a week due to the elections held on March 5.
Likewise, Summit Air had initially planned to restart its Pokhara–Jomsom flights from February 1, but the service resumed more than a month later because of the election period.
Chief of the Jomsom Civil Aviation Office, Dipak Pokhrel, said all preparations had been completed to resume the service from Monday. However, the airlines’ Twin Otter aircraft could not take off on Monday and Tuesday due to poor weather.
According to Pokhrel, two flights by Tara Air and three by Summit Air were scheduled from Pokhara to Jomsom on Tuesday, but all were cancelled due to adverse weather.
He added that the Pokhara–Jomsom air service will operate regularly once the weather improves.
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