GANDAKI: Apart from occasional “charter” flights to a few neighboring countries, regular international operations have failed to commence from Pokhara.

Built with a loan of approximately Rs 22 billion, Pokhara International Airport remains limited to domestic flights only. The airport was inaugurated on January 1, 2023.

Although the private airline Himalayan Airlines started the first regular commercial Pokhara–Lhasa flights in March 2025, it did not last long. Jagannath Niraula, General Manager of Pokhara International Airport, stated that Himalayan Airlines halted its Pokhara–Lhasa flight service on March 23.

“Citing a low number of passengers, Himalayan Airlines shut down the Pokhara–Lhasa flight service within just one year,” Niraula said. “Aside from sporadic charter flights, there are currently no regular international flights operating from Pokhara.”

General Manager Niraula shared that the first-ever medical charter flight from Pokhara to India took place on Tuesday.

According to him, Shambhu Dayal Shrivastava from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, who fell ill while returning from a pilgrimage to Muktinath, was flown to India via the medical charter.

He added that the Shree Airlines aircraft took off for Bhopal at 3:09 PM on Tuesday. The medical charter flight was arranged by Shree Airlines in coordination with India’s Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development and former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, alongside the patient’s family.

“This is the first time a charter flight has operated from Pokhara to India. This should make it easier for the Government of Nepal to seek permission and initiate necessary diplomatic efforts for regular flights between Pokhara and various Indian cities,” Niraula said.

He added that if the Indian government grants permission, Nepali airline companies could operate flights to various destinations in India.

While charter flights have previously operated from Pokhara to countries like China and Bhutan, this was the first charter flight to India.

Half-century dream facing operational hurdles

Despite continuous efforts by the government and relevant authorities to start regular international flights from Pokhara, those efforts have yet to yield meaningful results.

Although a 50-year-old plan to build an international airport in Pokhara has finally materialized, the airport has not been able to come into full operation.

Gokarna Karki, President of the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized that the federal government must initiate diplomatic efforts to kickstart regular international flights from Pokhara.

“The private sector, local levels, and the provincial government have been consistently raising this issue,” Karki said. “Since this is a diplomatic matter linked to foreign affairs, it is essential for the federal government to take decisive action.”

He added that connecting Pokhara directly to Indian air routes would allow both Pokhara and the entire country to reap massive benefits through tourism and trade.

President Karki recalled that the people of Pokhara had to put in tremendous effort and struggle to ensure the construction of the international airport.

On a positive note, he mentioned that domestic flights from Pokhara have become much more convenient.

“Previously, no flights operated out of Pokhara after 3:00 PM, but now night flights are also operating,” Karki said. “If regular international flights could begin, the country would benefit greatly, and it would put an end to the situation where an airport built at the cost of billions has to be run at a loss.”

Tourism entrepreneurs express deep concern

Tourism entrepreneurs—who had hoped that connecting the tourism capital, Pokhara, to the international aviation network would bring in large numbers of foreign tourists—are also disappointed by the lack of international flights.

Pom Narayan Shrestha, former President of the Pokhara Tourism Council, stated that an additional investment of nearly Rs 100 billion was poured into Pokhara’s tourism sector following the construction of the airport.

Shrestha noted that despite repeated appeals by tourism entrepreneurs and others to the federal government to push for regular international flights, no tangible results have been seen so far.

He urged the federal government to use diplomatic channels to create an environment conducive to international flights to various countries.

“It is an irony that even three and a half years after the airport’s inauguration, regular international flights have not been able to resume,” Shrestha remarked. “Until regular international flights begin from Pokhara, the city cannot fully reap its benefits as the tourism capital.”

He insisted that the government must immediately launch diplomatic initiatives to start regular flights.

Due to the lack of international operations, tourism entrepreneurs who invested heavily with the airport in mind are facing severe financial strain.

It is estimated that total investments in Pokhara’s tourism sector amount to around Rs 600 billion, with star hotels continuously being built in recent times.

Hotel entrepreneurs who invested with high expectations for the airport are now deeply worried. Their sole demand is for the government to operationalize regular international flights from Pokhara as quickly as possible.

Calls for strategic policy shifts

Entrepreneurs have been demanding that the government ease the necessary policies and regulations for international flights out of Pokhara, and grant national-level airlines permission to fly to major cities in India and China.

Many also believe that regular international flights from Pokhara should be initiated by the national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines.

If Pokhara International Airport—considered the backbone for the prosperity of Pokhara and the entire Gandaki Province—can be brought into full operation, it is widely believed that the tourism capital will achieve a massive leap in growth.

Currently, domestic airline operators are conducting flights from Pokhara International Airport to destinations like the federal capital Kathmandu, Bharatpur, and Bhairahawa.

Meanwhile, the government, in its policies and programs for the upcoming fiscal year 2026/2027, has announced that it will initiate diplomatic efforts to attract international airline operators to Pokhara International Airport.

The government’s policy framework outlines that reliable and competitive aviation services will be expanded by developing aviation infrastructure, fully operationalizing international airports, and modernizing them. (RSS)