Surya Bahadur Khatri, the contact person for the administration of the NEA in Pokhara, said that Balewa Airport is under the control of Sabita Poudel.
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Her daily routine is to wake up in the morning, cook and eat, send her son to school and go to the office. No matter how much she rushes, she is the only one who comes to the office. Balewa Airport in Baglung Municipality Ward No. 14 is her office. This airport has been deserted since 2075 BS. While it had a rough runway, this airport used to have a few flights coming and going, but since it was paved, it has been empty. It is not even certain when the airport will be operational.
Sabita Poudel of Baglung Municipality Ward No. 13 is waiting at the repeater tower of the airport. Her daily routine is to come and clean, attend and return. She comes to the office at 9 am and returns at 4:30 pm. Every day, she informs the airport office in Pokhara that she has come to the office.
A monitoring team also comes from Pokhara once a month. She said, 'The condition of Balewa Airport, what is the security arrangements around the perimeter, they monitor it and return. If the airport were operating, there would be a lot of work here. When there were other employees, including checking passengers' belongings, daily office operations and administrative work, there was also a lot of work. But now there is nothing.' If she receives a general letter from a government office, she sends it to Pokhara. If there is urgent information, she informs Surya Bahadur Khatri of the Pokhara office.
She is an office assistant. She gets a monthly salary of 22 thousand. She has been here alone for the last 12 years. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal appointed her in 2070 BS. Before that, there was a local Hirakumari Poudel. She retired due to age.
Surya Bahadur Khatri, the contact person for the administration in Pokhara of the authority, said that the Balewa Airport is completely dependent on Sabita Poudel. 'She has also done the payment of electricity and water bills, daily administration and reporting,' Khatri said, 'The government has a shortage of small aircraft. If the private sector wanted, it could have helped in managing security and running it.'
The airport is attractive because it is blacktopped. That is why almost everyone comes to see Balewa Airport every day. They try to reach the ground and take pictures. Poudel allows them to go after taking security precautions. The ground has become dilapidated since the planes have stopped operating. The fence is rusty. Sometimes, unknown people try to break the fence. She said that she is also doing daily maintenance and repairs. The locals have demanded that the airport be updated by running an aviation training center or some other program.
In 2074 BS, Baglung Municipality had an agreement to operate Nepal Airlines and Tara Airlines flights. The municipality had made an agreement with the airline to compensate for the vacant seats, resulting in a loss of 2 million rupees in one year. After the amount was found to be undeliverable, the municipality did not renew the agreement. After that, the planes also stopped coming. The municipality had also deployed two employees and a security guard here while the planes were operating.
‘Kashtamandap Uma and Samyukta Nirman Company’ had blacktopped Balewa Airport in Baisakh 2078 BS at a cost of 82.434 million rupees. The approximately 700-meter-long field has been blacktopped and the 1,100-meter-long field has been graveled. The 30-meter-wide field is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. After the terminal building was renovated and painted, there has been no initiative to fly planes.
This airport was operational from 2022 to 2049 BS. Planes operated from Bhairahawa, Pokhara, and Kathmandu. People from Baglung, Parbat, and Myagdi also used planes to go to the capital or to bring daily necessities from Bhairahawa. It was the most popular airport for Bhairahawa, as it would take 4 to 5 days to walk.
Even though it had a dirt runway, planes would fly, raising dust. The airport was open at that time. Ward Chairman Chakra Bahadur Khatri remembers that the locals built this airport with their labor. "At that time, the CDO's force was used to board the ship, but now the ship does not operate," he said. "Since the structure has been built, it would have been good if the ship could operate even once or twice a week." He said that the ground should also be used regularly for the safety of the built structure.
The 10-km section of the Kaligandaki corridor from the district headquarters to Balewa Airport is being prepared for blacktop. It is difficult to reach here easily as the contractor has not been able to complete the work even after extending the deadline. Baglung Municipality Chief Basanta Kumar Shrestha said that he will take the initiative to operate the ship if the road is smooth.
