An ATR aircraft requires 3,100 meters of visibility to land safely in Pokhara, while a minimum of 1,600 meters is required for takeoff. No aircraft had landed in Pokhara as of 12 noon.
What you should know
Flights at some domestic airports in the country have been affected due to bad weather. According to Kathmandu Airport, flights were disrupted at Tumligantar, Bharatpur and Pokhara airports due to weather conditions till 12 noon on Wednesday.
According to Pokhara Airport Chief Jagannath Niraula, the Pokhara Airport has been repeatedly opening and closing. The airport opened at 7 am on Wednesday, but the landing of the plane was stopped after visibility dropped to 2,500 meters at 11:30 am.
An ATR aircraft requires 3,100 meters of visibility to land safely in Pokhara, while at least 1,600 meters are required for flights from there. By 12 noon, no aircraft had landed in Pokhara . All those there had already flown to Kathmandu.
Buddha Air has scheduled 15 daily flights from Pokhara, Yeti Air 9, and Shree Airlines 2. Buddha Air operates one daily flight to Bhairahawa from there, while there are three flights to Nepalgunj a week. About 2,300 passengers travel to Pokhara Airport daily.
Pokhara's old Fewa Airport was closed on Wednesday due to bad weather. According to Niraula, helicopter charter flights to Muktinath and the Annapurna region are operated from there. There are about 60 helicopter flights and Ultra flights for tourists operating there daily.
Flights to the mountainous district of Mustang have been suspended due to the current tourist season. Summit Air and Tara Air have planned to operate five daily flights to Mustang from February 15. Similarly, Tara Air has been operating charter flights to Chaurjahari in Rukum.
Flights resumed at Bharatpur Airport after the weather improved after 12:30 pm. According to airport chief Deepak BK, flights resumed after the sun set at 12:30 pm. Bharatpur is an airport that operates only under the VFR (Visual Flight Rules) system, where a minimum visibility of 5,000 meters is required. Buddha Air has been operating 10 flights there daily.
