Karnali and far western hilly districts. Where air service is essential, but there is no flight. Tara Air, which has been flying to the hilly districts of Mugu, Humla and Jumla for almost three months from the state capital Surkhet in Karnali, has stopped its flights. On the other hand, except for Dadeldhura, all the hilly districts of Far West have airports, except for Bajura, which is partially operational, but all Bajhang, Sanfebagar, Kamalbazar, Dipyal, Patan airports are deserted.

Last November 12th . A test flight was taking place at Tikapur Airport in Kailali. On that day, the Tikapur Municipality called for a grand welcome at the airport as the air service was going to be operated from the Tikapur Airport, and cultural tableaus were presented from the villages. Leaders of political parties made speeches.

Tikapur Airport, which was established in 2042, was closed since 054. Although Tara Air had a test flight at this airport in 2007, the service could not be operated. After about 10 years, a test flight was conducted again in Tikapur.

After 26 years, on the 12th of November, the aircraft of Nepal Air Service Corporation conducted a test flight at Tikapur Airport. After the test flight was successful, Tara Air started from 30th of December  had started regular flights . But the air service of Tikapur Airport, which was restarted with much fanfare, has come to a state of being closed again. 

Tara Air started commercial Tikapur-Nepalganj-Kathmandu flights from Tikapur Airport after Tikapur Municipality ensured the amount of 15 seats. When the seats were vacant, the municipality had made an agreement that the municipality would pay the amount to Tara Air at the rate of eight and a half thousand rupees per seat. When the service was started, Tikapur-Nepalgunj-Kathmandu flights were being operated three days a week, but from February 26th, the number of flights has been reduced to only one day a week. 

Tara Air wrote to Tikapur municipality on February 19 and informed that it can take flight only on Monday. It has been mentioned in the letter that Tara Air had to reduce the number of flights as the ship will not be based in Nepalgunj from March. Lately, the leaders of Tikapur area have been making the operation of Tikapur airport a major slogan.  

Air service regularity is seen at Tikapur Airport, while the airports in the hilly districts of the Far West, which have been constructed at the expense of millions, are currently closed. All hilly districts except Dadeldhura in Far West have airports. Air services are not operational at Patan in Baitadi, Dipayal in Doti, Sanfebagar in Achham and Deval in Kamalbazar, Bajhang. Gokuleswar in Darchula, Mahendranagar in Kanchanpur are under construction . Tikapur-Nepalgunj-Kathmandu one day of the week from Tikapur Airport in Kailali and Bajura-Nepalgunj from Bajura Airport are in operation. Chief of Bajura Civil Aviation Office Pradeep Bhusal said that Nepalgunj Tara, Sita Summit is flying from Bajura.  

Almost 12 years after the Dewal Airport in Bajhang was closed, a Summit Air plane took off on a test flight on October 17, 2017. After that, the private airline company Summit Air was operating the service for some time . Since two months, Summit Air has also stopped the service saying that they had to send the ship to the east. "After the air service is stopped, the patients who need to be taken to a hospital with facilities for emergency treatment have to die prematurely due to lack of treatment," Bir Bahadur Khadka of Chainpur said, "The situation is the same as before."

After the completion of construction of the Kachi Airport in 035, for the first time the then Royal Nepal Air Service Corporation started weekly flights, Dewal Bajhang Airport was in operation until 065. Until then, private airline companies also used to fly to Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi from this airport. But in 2006, Nepal Airlines Corporation also closed its office in Bajhang headquarters.

Bajhang Civil Aviation Office Chief Mohan Giri said that there has been no flight for about a month. Summit Air was operating Dhangadhi-Bajhang-Dhangadi on Monday and Dhangadhi-Bajhang-Nepalganj air service on Thursday. "It is not sure when it will work," Giri said.

There was once a very busy airport - Achham's Sanfebagar Airport . Passengers from Achham and Bajura were thronged at the airport, where flights from Sanfebagar to Dhangadhi-Nepalganj are being served. Access required to get tickets. But at the moment the airport is also deserted. 

The then Maoist during the attack on Sanfebagar on 4th of February 2058  The airport was also destroyed. Although there is no regular air service, the airport which was in operation until 1962 was completely closed from the same year. After 13 years of closure, a test flight was conducted at Sanfebagar Airport on 075 June 11.

Krishna Sah, the head of Sanfebar Civil Aviation Office, says that the air service has been stopped for about a month. Before that, this Summit Air was flying Sanfebagar-Dhangadhi on Monday and Sanfebagar-Nepalgunj on Thursday. "It will start from April 1," Chief Shah said, "Let's see what happens." He said that he and one office assistant are currently working.

A test flight was also conducted at Kamalbazar Airport, another airport in Achham, on 13 January 2018. But the air service could not be operated. ``Kamalbazar airport will also be looked after by me, we don't have employees at the airport, the airport security guards take care of it,'' said Shah, head of Sanfebagar airport. 

Baitadi, Darchula, Dadeldhura and the central part of Bajhang, Baitadi's Patan Airport is also closed. After 26 years of closure, a test flight was conducted at Patan Airport, which was reopened on October 17, 2017. Soon after that, Summit Air partially operated Dhangadhi-Patan-Dhangahdi flight. But due to lack of passengers, Summit stopped the service from 078 Chait . Since then, the airport has been closed. The airport has been closed again after the flight did not take off.

The construction started from 032 and Patan Airport was operational from 036. At the Patan Airport, which has been closed since 2052, the then Maoists completely destroyed the office and tower in 2058.

The condition of Dipayal Airport in Doti is also similar to that of Patan. 077 On October 17th, Summit Airlines also operated the service for some time after conducting a flight test at Dipalaya Airport. But could not continue. After that, Nepal Airlines operated the service for some time but could not make it regular. The head of Sanfebagar Airport says that there is no flight at the airport since 079 October. "I will also look at Dipayal Airport," said Shah, head of Sanfebagar Airport. How to operate the airport when there is no ship.' 

Gokuleshwar in Darchula and Mahendranagar Airport in Kanchanpur are still under construction. Gokuleshwar Airport, which has been in operation since 2046, has been completely closed for 50 years. It has been 31 years since the airport was closed . 

During the conflict, the Maoists destroyed the structures including the tower at the airport. After the Ministry of Finance ensured the budget for the airport in January 2017, the airport is currently being reconstructed. 

Mahendranagar Airport, which started air service from 030, was closed in 056 for security reasons during the armed conflict. After a long movement for the construction of the airport, in partnership with the local level, the state government and the federal government, the reconstruction of the airport has been going on since 2008. For the reconstruction of the airport, Bhimdatta Municipality of Kanchanpur has agreed to pay 15%, Dodhara Chandni 10%, Sudurpaschim State Government 25% and Federal Government 50%. After the expiry of the period in January 081, the period has been extended by one year. 

Dhangadhi-based representative of Summit Air, which operates services in hilly districts, Abhas Shah said that the schedule of Bajhang and Achham, where services are being operated, has been maintained. It is due to the lack of ships. We will regularize it in the near future,' said Shah 

trouble in Karnali

Tara Air, which has been flying from Surkhet to Mugu, Humla and Jumla for almost 3 months, has stopped its flights . Since the first week of December, the passengers of Karnali have been forced to go to Nepalgunj and board the plane after the domestic flights have been stopped at all three airports twice a week. He stopped the flight because he could not find passengers and could not pay the price.  

The previous government also prioritized domestic flights. The topic of domestic flights has been mentioned in all the annual policies and programs so far. All the Chief Ministers till now have also made it a matter of prestige . "After the arrival of the new chief minister, domestic flights start at most 1/2 week and then stop again," said civic leader Narendra KC. He said that the concessions that the state government was supposed to provide to the air service could not proceed due to the non-formulation of procedures.

Domestic flights were arriving and stopping at Karnali before. Padam Shahi, president of Karnali Province, said that domestic flights will not continue until the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation starts flights from Surkhet to Humla, Jumla, Dolpa and Mugu. "Private ships should only look at the benefits," he said, "The provincial government should also give some concessions, if there were domestic flights from here, business would flourish, unnecessary hassles and costs would be reduced."

  Min Bahadur Rawal, the Director of Himalayan Tour and Travels, who operated the flight, said that the flight had to be stopped as it could not afford the expenses. According to him, 1 lakh 75 thousand rupees were spent per flight in Jumla and Mugu and 2 lakh 75 thousand rupees in Humla. "We were flying passengers at a cheaper rate than Nepalgunj, we had to pay that amount for many flights when there were no passengers, we were not always in a position to pay a large amount." He informed that the rental rate is almost 1000 rupees lower than Nepalgunj and has been established for Surkhet.

The Karnali government has allocated nearly 1 crore rupees to give concession on fuel to the airlines flying from Surkhet to the Himalayan district in the current financial year. But Niraj Shrestha, the information officer of the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, said that there was a problem because the necessary procedures were not passed. According to him, the Ministry has prepared the procedure and sent it to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Planning.

In the Himalayan districts of Karnali, Humla, Dolpa, Mugu and Jumla, the roads are dilapidated and dangerous, and even now the ships are still in use. Civic leader Durgaprasad Sapkota says that the Karnali highway connecting Surkhet-Jumla is a single lane and the locals have to rely on boats. "Even if there is normal rain, there is not a day when the vehicle does not stop and the vehicle does not get stuck in mud, due to which there is a problem of jamming for hours if one vehicle stops," he said. There is no airport in Dailekh, Jajarkot, Salyan and Dailekh, while there are 2 airports in Rukum West, Chowrjahari and Salle, but flights have not been possible in Chowrjahari for a long time . Private ship companies have kept 2/2 ships in Nepalgunj to fly to the Himalayan districts of Karnali. There are only cargo flights from the provincial capital Surkhet.