Pokhara, September 24
For decades, residents of Pokhara had waited for the day when they could fly abroad from their own city. That day arrived on Wednesday evening, when a Flydubai Boeing aircraft from Dubai landed at Pokhara International Airport, beginning the airport’s first regular international commercial service.
The aircraft touched down at 6.18pm carrying 113 passengers. It was welcomed with a water salute as a large crowd gathered outside the main terminal building.
Some had come to welcome relatives returning from abroad. Others were there to see off family members beginning journeys overseas. For many, the arrival meant they would no longer have to travel to Kathmandu to begin or end an international journey.
The aircraft, operated by a crew that included Nepali pilot Sarbajit Yadav, departed for Dubai at 7.54pm with 152 passengers on board.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the flight from Dubai to Pokhara took four hours and 30 minutes, while the return journey took four hours and 50 minutes.
The service establishes a direct air connection between Pokhara and the United Arab Emirates, giving the city access to Dubai, one of the world’s major aviation hubs.
But at the airport on Wednesday, the significance of the new route was most apparent in the experiences of the passengers and their families.
A shorter journey home
Tara Sinjali Magar, from Myagdi, had spent five years working in Dubai. When she walked out of the international arrivals hall and saw the crowd waiting outside, she was surprised. Returning to Nepal was already a source of happiness. But being able to land at an airport in her own province meant even more.
“I have returned to the country after five years. I am extremely happy to be able to land at Pokhara airport,” she said.
For Raju Parajuli, from Syangja, the new route offered a different kind of relief. Parajuli has spent 30 years working in Bahrain. During those years, he used Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu dozens of times. After landing there, he would still have to find a hotel, travel to his village and wait to meet his family.
“When I landed in Kathmandu from Bahrain, I had to find a hotel. It was difficult for my family to come from the village,” he said.
He remembered wanting to see his mother as soon as he arrived but being separated from her by the journey from Kathmandu.
“As soon as you land at the airport, you want to see your mother. At that time, if I told my mother to come, she would wait there while we travelled by car. There were no telephones. There were difficulties with so many things.”
Now, he said, that experience had changed.
“I am extremely happy to be able to land at my own place of residence now,” he said.
He hopes the international service will continue.
“Pokhara will develop now too. This must operate regularly,” Parajuli said.
Suman Gharti, from Tanahun, arrived from Romania via Dubai. His relatives were waiting for him at the airport.
Naresh, who had returned home after working in Dubai, was preparing to go abroad again. This time, he said, he wanted to begin his journey from Pokhara rather than Kathmandu.
“International flights must now operate regularly. I will return from here,” he said.
Rugi Timilsina, from Malepatan in Kaski, arrived from Norway via Dubai after spending time with her children. She had not expected that she would be able to arrive on an international flight at an airport in her own district.
“I was very happy. I had never thought I would come on this very flight,” she said.
Passengers arriving through Dubai from Europe, the United States and the Gulf countries expressed a similar hope: that the service would continue.
Arrivals and departures
The excitement in the arrivals hall was matched by a different emotion in the departures area.
Devka Gautam was preparing to travel to Britain via Dubai to study. Her grandmother had come to the airport to see her off and broke down in tears.
Family members tried to comfort her. Devka was fed yoghurt before departure, and photographs were taken with the name of Pokhara International Airport visible behind them.
For the family, the photograph marked the beginning of a new journey.
Nabin Gurung, from Lekhnath, has worked in Dubai for 15 years. He was home on holiday and had deliberately waited for the first international flight from Pokhara to return to Dubai.
“I had been waiting specifically to take the first flight from Pokhara,” he said.
Regina Kumal, from Rupa Rural Municipality, was travelling to Britain for her studies. For her, being able to travel from Pokhara to Dubai and onwards was a matter of convenience.
Vivek Shrestha, lead singer of the band Kandara, and musician Sunil Thapa had also arrived on the first international flight after returning from the United States, where they had completed a musical programme.
They had waited for the first international flight to return to Pokhara and saw the occasion as part of a much larger change for the city.
“This was a dream for the people of Pokhara. We had the historic opportunity to witness that dream,” Shrestha said.
A five-decade project
The idea of flying directly abroad from Pokhara is not new.
Discussion of an international airport in the city dates back nearly five decades. Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated on January 1, 2023, by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who was then prime minister.
But for a long period after its inauguration, the airport did not have regular international commercial flights.
There were charter flights. Himalaya Airlines attempted to operate commercial services to several cities in China, while charter flights also operated from Pokhara to China and Bhutan.
Without a regular international service, questions continued to be raised about the airport’s future.
There had also been repeated concerns over India’s refusal to grant the necessary air routes for flights serving Pokhara. Some residents feared the airport might remain largely limited to domestic services.
The Flydubai route has changed that situation, at least for now.
What the flight could mean for tourism
Local officials and tourism businesses see the new connection as an opportunity to expand Pokhara’s links with international visitors and Nepalis working abroad.
Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, who was at the airport to welcome passengers from Dubai, described the service as a historic beginning.
“There has been a historic beginning that has dispelled the uncertainty over whether international flights would operate or not,” he said.
Although charter flights had previously operated, he said, there had been no regular commercial international service.
“The pilot of Flydubai is also Nepali. Another 153 people are now going from here. It is a matter of happiness. We are all happy. Congratulations to everyone,” Acharya said.
Tourism entrepreneurs and representatives of various organisations also gathered at the airport under the leadership of the Pokhara Tourism Council to welcome the arriving passengers.
Santosh Pokharel, a member of the Nepal Tourism Board, said the regular service followed continued efforts by the Nepal government, Tourism Minister Khadkaraj Paudel ‘Ganes’, Pokhara Metropolitan City and local organisations and stakeholders.
For tourism entrepreneur Gopi Bhattarai, the flight removed some of the uncertainty surrounding the airport.
“There had been doubts about whether international flights would operate from Pokhara at all, and whether large aircraft would even be able to come here,” he said. “Today is a breakthrough day for the entire Gandaki region.”
Tourism, he said, depended on air and other forms of connectivity.
“The hope of tourism is connectivity. This flight must operate regularly, and everyone must contribute from their respective positions to make that happen,” Bhattarai said.
Pomanarayan Shrestha, president of the Pokhara Tourism Council, said the direct connection with Dubai had expanded the city’s possibilities.
Dubai is connected by air to more than 250 destinations around the world, he said, potentially making it easier for people travelling from Pokhara to reach other countries.
“There is a large workforce from Gandaki and surrounding areas in the Middle East. We can bring tourists from there and Nepali people living abroad to Pokhara,” he said.
Regular flights could benefit tourism businesses as well as passengers, he said.
The question of continuity
The airport’s history makes the question of what happens next particularly important.
During its construction, industrialists, businesspeople, civil society groups and local residents organised protests and pressure campaigns.
The airport was built by a Chinese construction company at a cost of more than 22 billion rupees. Although it eventually came into operation, the absence of regular international flights led to continuing questions about the use of the investment and infrastructure.
Residents have also followed issues including geopolitical complications, international air routes, operational challenges at the airport and the federal government’s role in international coordination.
The experience of Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa, where international flights began but failed to continue regularly, has added to those concerns.
Flydubai has opened bookings for daily flights from Sept. 7 for at least six months, according to the information provided. Hotels, restaurants and adventure tourism businesses in Pokhara have also announced discounts and promotional schemes to attract passengers and support the new service.
Flydubai is offering passengers travelling to Pokhara a fare discount of up to 5,000 rupees compared with Kathmandu, according to the information provided.
The first flight brought 113 passengers to Pokhara. Another 152 left for Dubai that evening.
For a city that had spent decades waiting for a direct international connection, the significance of the day was clear.
But whether Wednesday’s flight becomes the beginning of a sustained international service will depend on its continuity, government efforts, passenger numbers, tourism promotion and the airport’s ability to connect with more international destinations.
