NEPALGUNJ: Regular flights between Nepalgunj and Pokhara, which have remained suspended for several months, are set to resume from September 16.
Private airline Buddha Air has announced that it will resume the Nepalgunj-Pokhara service from September 16. Buddha Air Nepalgunj Chief Bineet Bikram Shah said the decision was taken in response to growing passenger demand.
According to Shah, demand for the route, which provides a direct air link between Nepalgunj and Pokhara and facilitates travel for visitors from Uttar Pradesh, India, has been increasing. The service was suspended from May 19 due to a decline in the number of religious tourists arriving from India and rising fuel costs.
Shah said the airline decided to resume the service following an increase in the number of religious tourists and growing demand for air travel.
The flights will operate three days a week—Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Buddha Air has already opened bookings for the service.
Tourism entrepreneurs in Banke have welcomed the decision to resume the flights. Krishna Prasad Shrestha, chairman of the Tourism Promotion Forum Banke, said the route is important for the tourism sector as it provides a direct connection between Pokhara and visitors from India.
He said the resumption of the service would make it easier for visitors from Pokhara and other parts of Nepal to travel to religious destinations, including Bageshwori Temple in Nepal and Ayodhya in India. The route will also improve access to Pokhara and Mustang for residents of Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Surkhet and other districts in western Nepal.
Comment