On April 25, after his health problems worsened due to severe diabetes, 71-year-old Kal Bahadur Adhikari of Hima-6, Jumla was admitted to the Teaching Hospital under the Karnali Institute of Health Sciences. The diabetes was not controlled there. On top of that, the teaching hospital referred him to Nepalgunj, Banke for 'Uro Surgery' after his 'prostate' problem worsened.

The patient's relatives waited all day for a plane to take him to the hospital quickly from Jumla, but the flight did not arrive. As the patient's condition became complicated, it was decided to take him to Nepalgunj by ambulance of Hima Rural Municipality. However, they were unable to reach Nepalgunj. When the ambulance number 01001 Jha 0024 crashed near Mayorkhola, Khadachakra-2, Kalikot, Kul Bahadur's son Bhim Bahadur, 32, and ambulance driver Shakti Bahadur Shahi, 26, of Machigaun, Hima-7, died. The patient Adhikari was injured. ‘If a plane had arrived that day, my treatment would have been easier,’ said the official, ‘I lost my son prematurely.’

Humla, Dolpa, Mugu and Since the roads in Jumla are dilapidated and risky, the public waits for flights for safe travel. However, on the one hand, there is suffering due to the lack of flights as per the schedule, on the other hand, patients are not able to reach the hospital on time. Since the roads in Humla, Dolpa, Mugu and Jumla in Karnali are dilapidated and risky, the public waits for planes for safe travel. On the one hand, there is suffering due to the lack of scheduled flights, on the other hand, patients are not able to reach the hospital on time. One such person is 21-year-old Sabi Kami of Chandannath-8 in Jumla. She was admitted to the Pratishthan Teaching Hospital on Monday after experiencing problems with her heart, chest and lungs. The hospital has referred her to Nepalgunj. The doctor has advised her to take her on oxygen on the plane. ‘The plane did not arrive on Wednesday even though it was scheduled,’ said her brother Binod, ‘I had to return to the Teaching Hospital after the flight was cancelled due to the weather.’

Durga Rawat of Tila-8 has been suffering from a ‘gastric’ problem for a long time. After the problem worsened on Tuesday, she planned to go to Nepalgunj for treatment. ‘I cannot travel by car,’ she said, ‘There was a Nepal Airlines flight on Wednesday, so I reached the airport, there was no flight for two days citing weather problems, and finally there was no option but to cancel the ticket.’

Karnali is almost without flights as private airline companies are focusing on the eastern districts of the country, citing the start of the tourist season. Nepal Airlines Corporation flights are also being canceled repeatedly citing weather and technical reasons. This has upset the locals of Karnali.

Last week, Nepal Airlines had announced a schedule of flights from Nepalgunj to Jumla on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and from Surkhet on Tuesday. ‘But the flight was only on Tuesday, all other flights were canceled,’ said local Chandralal Neupane, ‘The lives of patients are at risk due to the disruption of flights.’ 

The 232-kilometer Karnali Highway is a ‘single lane’. Neupane says that for this reason, locals are forced to rely on air travel, even though it is expensive. ‘Even in normal rain, there is not a day when vehicles do not stop and get stuck in the mud. If a vehicle stops, there is a problem of jamming for hours,’ he said, ‘Even then, the blacktop of the highway, which was laid 5 years ago, has completely worn away, and the road becomes dusty during the winter.’ 

Ratna Bahadur Shahi of Gamgadhi, Mugu, complained that passengers are suffering due to both the road and the air. ‘Neither the road is smooth, nor are the planes coming,’ he said, ‘there is no option but to lose one’s life if a critical patient arrives.’ Nepal Airlines Jumla Station In-charge Umakanta Adhikari claimed that the flight is facing problems due to bad weather. ‘We call passengers to the airport after the schedule is set,’ he said, ‘but when the plane does not arrive, we are forced to return.’ According to him, 2/2 seats have been reserved for patients and government employees in every flight. 

Sita, Tara, Summit and Nepal Airlines have been flying to Jumla. Local Ramananda Acharya said that private airlines are canceling flights almost every day, citing a lack of passengers. Sita, Tara, Summit and Nepal Airlines have been flying to Jumla. Local Ramananda Acharya said that private airlines have been canceling flights almost every day due to lack of passengers. Dr. Kamal Thani, Director of Karnali Institute of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital, said that even patients who have been referred are forced to be returned and admitted to the hospital again due to the lack of regular flights. 

Due to the unreliable road network, most of the passengers from Mugu and Humla choose to travel by air. However, Guru Tamang of Mugumkarmarong Rural Municipality said that even after visiting the airline offices for 3/4 days, tickets cannot be obtained. ‘Either you have to know the airline employees or be a leader’s friend,’ he said, ‘The plane does not come, and even if it does, you cannot get a ticket.’ He complained that tourists visiting Rara are being deprived of boarding local planes when they come with double tickets. 

Raj Bahadur Rokaya of Simkot, Humla said that after private companies flying to Karnali sent their planes east to ferry tourists, they have to rely on Nepal Airlines. ‘Fuel takes up space for 2/3 people, and it is difficult to get a ticket because there are two government and two sick quotas,’ he said, ‘You have to travel at least a week for one ticket.’

Humla was only connected to the national road network in Ashar last year. The distance from the district headquarters Simkot to Surkhet is 334 kilometers. The fare for which is 5,800 rupees, and it takes about 2 days for a vehicle to cover that distance. Ram Bahadur Bhandari, president of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that due to the difficult journey on the newly dug dirt road, air transport is still not an alternative.

Nepal Airlines charges 11,814 rupees from Nepalgunj to Simkot, 9,300 rupees to Mugu, and 8,933 rupees to Jumla. Private airlines charge 500,000 to 2,000 rupees more. Similarly, the fare from Surkhet to Humla is Rs 6,078, from Jumla Rs 6,592 and from Rara Airport in Mugu Rs 7,265, said Govinda Giri, station in-charge of Nepal Airlines in Surkhet. According to him, private airlines do not fly from Surkhet. 

One plane, many destinations

The plane with a 'base' in Nepalgunj is struggling to fulfill its flight schedule. It has to fly about 40 times in 6 days. But flights are being canceled due to technical problems and bad weather on the old aircraft. Nepal Airlines has two Twin Otter planes. One plane flies from Kathmandu to the eastern districts. The other plane is kept as a 'base' in Nepalgunj. According to airline employees, the plane is brought to Nepalgunj from Kathmandu on Sunday morning and taken to Kathmandu on Friday evening. The plane was brought into operation after being 'grounded' for a long time and repaired. Due to this, technical problems are being seen in the plane from time to time, said Yamraj Singh, head of Nepal Airlines Nepalgunj. 

The aircraft with a Nepalgunj ‘base’ is struggling to fulfill its flight schedule. It has to fly about 40 times in 6 days. But flights are being canceled due to technical problems and bad weather on the old aircraft. Nepal Airlines has recently added flights to Chaurjahari Airport in Rukum West. Nepal Airlines will now fly to the airport, which has been closed since 2070 BS, every Friday. 

Travel agent Amarraj Pun said that the risk of flight cancellations has increased when the same aircraft has a schedule everywhere. ‘Nepal Airlines has made flight schedules everywhere, but due to the pilot’s flight duration, weather and technical aspects of the aircraft, 3/4 flights are canceled every day,’ he said. ‘The passengers are further inconvenienced by the haphazard flight schedule of Nepal Airlines.’ Another businessman, Bimal KC, said that even though Nepal Airlines has made a ‘base’ in Nepalgunj and started flights, the schedule is impractical.

Nepal Airlines has made public the flight schedule for Rukum-Nepalgunj on Sunday and Wednesday, Jumla on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Simkot on Monday and Wednesday, Talcha on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and Dolpa on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Similarly, the flight schedule for Jumla to Nepalgunj is Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Simkot-Nepalgunj on Monday and Wednesday, Talcha-Nepalgunj on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and Dolpa-Nepalgunj on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The aircraft has also made a 3-day 'schedule' for Nepalgunj-Bajura. Surkhet Station In-charge Govinda Giri informed that it flies from Surkhet to Humla on Monday, Jumla on Tuesday and Rara Airport on Thursday. 

Staff in passenger seats 

Small aircraft flying to Karnali have 19 seats for passengers, excluding crew members. However, an engineer and a technical employee are also placed on the Nepal Airlines aircraft that flies from Nepalgunj. Two of them are working in Nepalgunj and one in Surkhet. Due to the additional fuel load, no more than 15 passengers are carried on it. Pradeep Aryal, head of the Nepal Civil Aviation Office, Jumla, said that they are roaming around on the aircraft for their work. 

Small aircraft flying in Karnali have 19 seats for passengers, excluding crew members. However, Nepal Airlines' aircraft that make Nepalgunj 'base' and fly have also been assigned an engineer and a technical employee. ‘There is no position for those employees in the office,’ he said, ‘One person works to refuel the aircraft, the engineer is brought on the aircraft so that there are no technical problems.’ He said that the lack of management of the employees roaming around on the aircraft has reduced the number of passenger seats. On the one hand, this has resulted in a loss of fare money and on the other hand, unnecessary expenses are being incurred on the employees. 

 Yamraj Singh, Nepal Airlines Nepalgunj Chief, says that if those employees are also available at the relevant airport, there would be no problem. 'Technical checks are always mandatory before flying,' he said, 'another employee also has to be there to refuel the aircraft.' He says that despite repeated complaints to the central office for employee management, the demand has not been addressed. According to him, due to the constant wandering of employees, they have to bear losses of up to Rs 130,000 per month. 

Nepal Airlines has made arrangements to give up to 50 percent discount on its aircraft. Due to this, even if the locals wait their turn, they are forced to travel on the corporation's aircraft.

Blame the weather 

Humla, Dolpa, Mugu and Jumla are windy most of the time. Flights are always stopped when there is strong wind after 12 noon. Similarly, Nepalgunj and Surkhet have fog and mist problems. Due to which, flights are often disrupted. ‘The weather is bad here and bad there,’ said Nepal Airlines Nepalgunj Station Chief Singh, ‘There are technical problems that appear from time to time because the aircraft is old, but we get a lot of abuse.’ 

According to civic leader Purichandra Devkota, if private aircraft stop flying, they change their schedules immediately. Nepal Airlines changes its schedule only annually, semi-annually or quarterly, which has caused losses to both passengers and airlines. ‘If a private flight is canceled today, another flight will be made the next day, but if a schedule is canceled in RA, there is no option but to wait for another schedule,’ he said, ‘This has also affected the airline’s income, and passengers are forced to board private aircraft at a high cost.’ 

According to him, the fare from Nepalgunj to Jumla is Rs 6,493 on Nepal Airlines, while on private aircraft, they have to pay Rs 8,881. Private planes are also charging extra in the name of charter flights. Humla civic leader Vijay Lama said that Nepal Airlines refuses to fly even when there is normal fog and normal winds. ‘Other planes arrive in the same weather,’ he said, ‘but passengers are suffering because they are not allowed to board NA planes.’ 

Difficult to get tickets 

Nepal Airlines has added flights to Jufal Airport in Dolpa. But Durga Prasad Devkota of Tripura Sundari-1 said that the problem of having to go to the airline’s office every day for tickets has not been solved. ‘Until two years ago, we had to wait for a month to board NA planes,’ he said, ‘Now there are regular flights three days a week, but the ticket syndicate has not been broken yet.’

 Some passengers book tickets online, while others register their names over the phone. 

कतिपय यात्रुलाई भने एयरलाइन्सको कार्यालयमा पटकपटक जानुपर्ने बाध्यता भएको स्थानीय अगुवा विष्णुलाल बुढाले बताए । ‘एयरलाइन्सका कर्मचारीको प्राथमिकतामा चिनेका मान्छे र पहुँचवाला व्यक्तिहरू हुन्छन्,’ उनले भने, ‘सर्वसाधारणलाई त जहिले पनि टिकट पाउन मुस्किल हुन्छ ।’ जुफाल विमानस्थलमा नेपाल एयरलाइन्सले नेपालगन्जबाट मंगलबार, बिहीबार र शुक्रबार उडान गर्ने गरेको छ । नेपाल एयरलाइन्स जुफाल कार्यालयका कर्मचारी कालीबहादुर केसीले अहिले तालिकाअनुसार नै नियमित उडान भइरहेको बताए । डोल्पामा निजी एयरलाइन्सको तुलनामा नेपाल एयरलाइन्सले बढी उडान गरिरहेको उनको दाबी छ ।