Nepalgunj, August 20
Regular flights between Nepalgunj and Pokhara, which have been suspended for several months, are set to resume from September 16.
Buddha Air will resume the service from September 16, with flights operating three days a week on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Buddha Air Nepalgunj chief Binit Bikram Shah said the service is being resumed in response to growing passenger demand.
The flight, which provides a direct air link between Pokhara and Uttar Pradesh in India, was suspended from May 19 due to a decline in religious tourists from India and high fuel costs.
Shah said the number of religious tourists has increased recently, leading to renewed demand for the route.
“Demand for the flight has increased, so we have decided to resume the service,” Shah said. Bookings for the flights have already opened.
The resumption has also encouraged tourism entrepreneurs in Banke.
Krishna Prasad Shrestha, chairperson of the Tourism Promotion Forum Banke, said the direct connection would benefit tourism in western Nepal as well as Indian visitors travelling to Pokhara.
He said the service would make it easier for visitors from Pokhara and other areas to travel to religious destinations such as Bagheswori Temple in Nepalgunj and Ayodhya in India.
The flight will also make travel to Pokhara and Mustang easier for people from Banke, Bardiya, Dang and Surkhet, he said.
Following sustained efforts by local tourism entrepreneurs, Buddha Air had initially launched Nepalgunj-Pokhara flights on August 1, 2021, with three flights a week.
