The airline companies will face additional pressure of around 15 percent during the upcoming festival season following obstruction of major highways due to flood and landslides. The companies have already started advanced booking considering the added pressure and even completed 70 percent of booking for Dashain. Dozens of bridges have been damaged along the East West Highway while transportation has been affected in other roads even in the western parts. “We used to arrange additional flights during festival season even in the past. We will have to add more this year as there will be additional pressure of 15 percent,” Spokesperson of the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) and Marketing Director of Simrik Airlines Ghanashyam Acharya says. He estimates that the pressure can rise further as the monsoon season has yet to end.
National flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), Yeti, Buddha, and Simrik have been operating flights to Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Tumlingtar, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, Pokhara, Dhangadi, Janakpur and other urban areas. Tara and Goma, that have been operating in the remote sectors, have also opened advanced booking for the festival season. Acharya says ticket booking has been opened as income of airline companies is satisfactory during the upcoming festivals and tourist season.
Airline companies start advanced booking for the Hindu festival of Dashain as there is a huge pressure of passengers going outside from Kathmandu. “We allow advanced booking round the year but the pressure is unbearable at this time,” Marketing Director of Buddha Rupesh Joshi says. The airline company says additional flights will be arranged according to the state of booking. He reveals that there is greater pressure for Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Bhadrapur sectors during Dashain. Acharya assures that the pressure can, however, be reduced as a few other companies are also looking to start operation from Dashain. Saurya Airlines has already brought airplanes in Kathmandu to start operation from Dashain.
Passengers of remote sectors suffer
People in the remote sectors are set to suffer further in the upcoming festival in lack of adequate airplanes to operate flights there. The number of companies operating in the remote sector has fallen after Sita and single-engine airplanes of Air Kasthamandup have been downgraded to cargo flights. The passengers in the remote sectors are set to suffer further as there will be delay in arrival of the Chinese Y12 airplanes that the NAC was planning to bring to operate flights in the remote sectors.
There are 15 companies operating domestic flights in Nepal but just 10 airplanes including one of NAC, seven of Tara and two of Simrik will now operate flights in the remote sector with the demotion of Sita. Altogether 31 airports out of the total of 58 airports in Nepal are currently in operation. Eighteen out of them are in remote areas including Dolpa, Mugu, Rara, Jumla, Bajhang, Bhojpur, Rumjatar, Faplu, Manang, Tumlingtar, Tamakharka, Khamidada, Bajura, Chourjahari, Humla, Simikot, Rukum, Salle, Lamidada and Kageldada.
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