POKHARA: Pokhara International Airport (PIA) will operate its first commercial flight later this month, two years after its inauguration.
Himalaya Airlines has announced that it will operate a weekly service between Pokhara and Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China starting March 31. According to Bijaya Shrestha, the vice president of Himalaya Airlines, the carrier has already received the necessary approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
Inaugurated on January 1, 2023, with great fanfare and rejoicing, the airport has so far been limited to domestic flights and a few international charter flights.
“We will start with one flight per week with plans to increase the frequency based on demand,” Shrestha said. “Our primary goal is to operate flights to 10 major tourist destinations in China and welcome one million Chinese tourists to Nepal.”
Gyanendra Bhul, the information officer of CAAN, said that Himalaya Airlines has received the necessary permission to operate scheduled flights to Lhasa.
As per the flight schedule made public by the airline, its Airbus A319 aircraft will arrive from Gonggar Airport of Lhasa every Monday and leave Pokhara for Lhasa on Tuesday.
The flight is expected to strengthen Nepal-China relations and boost tourism and trade between the two countries. Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara are also optimistic about the new flight route.
Meanwhile, Sichuan Airlines has also shown interest in operating commercial flights between Pokhara and Chengdu. Earlier, Sichuan Airlines had operated a charter flight between Chengdu and Pokhara. Sources say Sichuan Airlines plans to operate flights on the Chengdu-Pokhara-Kathmandu-Chengdu or Chengdu-Kathmandu-Pokhara-Chengdu routes. Society International is the official General Sales Agent (GSA) for Sichuan Airlines in Nepal.
Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara are preparing affordable travel packages for Chinese visitors. Taranath Pahari, the president of the Pokhara Tourism Council, said preparations were underway to promote Nepali culture and attract tourists through affordable packages.
The airport was built with an investment of Rs 22.61 billion borrowed from Exim Bank of China.
