Last Friday, the six-point resolution on ‘Regular air services in hilly and remote districts’ presented by Karnali Provincial Assembly member Hikmat Bahadur Bista was unanimously passed in the Provincial Assembly. The work of drafting the working procedures related to air services in Karnali is in the final stage.

But to board a flight to the hilly and mountainous districts of Karnali, Karnali residents are forced to go to Nepalgunj in Lumbini Province. After domestic air flights in Karnali have been starting and stopping, Karnali residents have been forced to board a flight after traveling about 3 hours by road from the provincial capital Birendranagar.

Last year, Tara Airlines started flights from Surkhet to Mugu, Humla and Jumla in the first week of Falgun. But it stopped flights less than a month later, citing insufficient passengers and problems with meeting expenses. Before that, domestic flights were being operated and stopped in Karnali twice. Currently, no district in Karnali has a direct air connection with the provincial capital Birendranagar. Currently, flights are being operated from Nepalgunj Airport to Jufal in Dolpa, Simkot in Humla, Talcha in Mugu, Khalanga in Jumla, and Salle Airport in Rukum West. Province MP Mahendra KC said that passengers are being affected by the compulsion to travel through Lumbini Province even to travel within their own province.

The provincial government allocated Rs 12 million to provide fuel facilities to airlines to regularize domestic flights from the fiscal year 2078/89. Since then, although Rs 72 million was allocated, most of the amount was frozen. The government, which allocated Rs 10 million under this heading last year, has allocated Rs 4 million this year. The Karnali government has been including the issue of domestic flights in all its annual policies and programs so far. Minister for Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Suresh Adhikari informed that the draft of the working procedure related to air services has reached the final stage and said that additional budget will be arranged if the funds are insufficient.

When a new government is formed, all the Chief Ministers have also been making it a matter of prestige. ‘After the new Chief Minister comes, domestic flights start for a maximum of 1/2 week and then stop,’ said Padam Bahadur Rokaya of Simkot-7, Humla. ‘Rather than providing facilities to the people, the government is working on domestic flights just to get in the news, so now we are forced to travel three hours by car from Surkhet to Nepalgunj in Lumbini Province to board a plane.’ Earlier, the government had decided to provide a concession of Rs 1,000 on air tickets to senior citizens of Karnali. But the decision was not implemented as there were no flights from Surkhet airport.

There are currently four daily flights from Surkhet Airport to the federal capital Kathmandu, while the Nepali Army has established an air base and is carrying out rescue work through helicopters. Last Bhadra, the Karnali Province Development Problem Resolution Committee meeting decided to request the federal government to organize flights from Surkhet Airport to remote districts of Karnali Province and adjust the fares.

Until 2074 BS, there were regular flights from Surkhet Airport to Jumla, Mugu, Humla and Dolpa and Bajura in Sudurpaschim Province. Another province MP, Hikmat Bahadur Bista, said that citizens who travel to Birendranagar for studies, employment, medical treatment and various administrative work have been suffering due to the lack of domestic air services.

It seems that domestic flights will not continue until the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation starts flights from Surkhet to Humla, Jumla, Dolpa and Mugu, said Padam Shahi, president of the Karnali Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry. ‘Private aircraft only see the benefits,’ he said, ‘The provincial government also needs to provide some concessions in this regard. If domestic flights were operated from here, business would flourish, unnecessary hassle and high prices would be reduced.’

Min Bahadur Rawal, director of Himali Tour and Travels, which has been operating domestic flights for about 3 months, said that they had to stop flights due to lack of expenses. According to him, the cost per flight used to be Rs 175,000 in Jumla and Mugu and Rs 275,000 in Humla. ‘We were flying passengers at a cheaper rate than Nepalgunj,’ he said, ‘Since there were no passengers, we had to pay that amount on many flights, and we could not always afford to pay a large amount.’ According to him, the fare has been fixed at 8,000 rupees for Surkhet-Simakot-Surkhet, 6,500 rupees for Surkhet-Mugu-Surkhet, and 5,500 rupees for Surkhet-Jumla-Surkhet. He informed that the fare has been fixed for Surkhet, which is about 1,000 rupees lower than Nepalgunj.

The roads in the mountainous districts of Humla, Dolpa, Mugu, and Jumla of Karnali are dilapidated and dangerous, so people still rely on planes. Since the Karnali highway connecting Surkhet and Jumla is a ‘single lane’, the locals have to rely on planes, says Purichandra Devkota, president of the Jumla Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "Even in normal rain, there is not a day when vehicles do not stop and get stuck in mud, due to which there is a problem of traffic jams for hours if a vehicle stops," he said. "Even then, after the blacktop of the highway built 5 years ago has completely worn out, passengers are forced to suffer from dusty travel even during winter."

Even though there is an airport in another mountainous district, Kalikot, flights have been suspended for a long time. Dailekh, Jajarkot and Salyan do not have airports. Although there are 2 airports in Rukum west, Chaurjahari and Salle, flights have not been possible in Chaurjahari for a long time.

Private airline companies Tara, Sita and Summit Airlines have kept 2 aircraft each in Nepalgunj to fly to the mountainous districts of Karnali. Passengers say they are suffering due to the lack of aircraft. ‘Neither the road is fast nor are there planes,’ said Ratna Bahadur Shahi of Gamgadhi, Mugu. ‘If someone is seriously ill, there is no alternative to losing their lives.’ According to him, the Nepal Army opened the track of the road under the Karnali Highway in 2069 BS and handed it over to the government.