Lhasa, where the flight started, is a city with ancient ties to Nepal. Therefore, an opportunity has been created to bring in tourists from there and refresh relations. Not only for tourism, but also for business and cultural exchange, this flight can be a help and a start.
On Monday, Himalaya Airlines not only brought 107 passengers from Lhasa to Pokhara, but also brought a ray of hope to Pokhara. This first international commercial flight that landed at Pokhara Airport has opened wide doors of possibilities in Nepal's air service, tourism, economy and diplomacy.
There is a hope that this flight will address the questions raised due to the inability of international commercial flights to take place at the airport built by the state with a loan of 22 billion rupees. Monday's flight
has 'broken through' and according to the then schedule, Himalaya Airlines will only fly one flight a week to Pokhara. Airport construction debt, its ability to serve, private sector investments motivated by airport construction, and geopolitical sensitivities cannot be addressed by a single flight. If the state worked hard and the businessmen cooperated to make flights and services sustainable and reliable, now the way is clear.
Previously, only international 'charter' flights were taking place at Pokhara Airport. During that time, this airport was connected with China, India and Bhutan through 'charter' flights. In October 2080, two cargo planes of the Chinese People's Liberation Army also landed at Pokhara Airport. Recently, China's Sichuan Airlines is conducting a Chengdu-Pokhara commercial 'charter' flight.
Monday is a new beginning. The Himalayan ship, which arrived in Pokhara from Gongar Airport in Lhasa on Monday, left Pokhara for Lhasa on Tuesday. According to this schedule, he is scheduled to fly Kathmandu-Lhasa-Pokhara-Lhasa-Kathmandu. Currently, one flight per week is being operated with plans to increase the number of flights in the future based on increased demand. Taking this as an auspicious start, the state should adopt a commercial strategy to keep the airport busy.
It is challenging to maintain and grow this flight schedule started by Himalaya Airlines. Foreign airlines should create conditions for using Pokhara Airport. Through this, the cycle of flight and attachment is formed. Similarly, Pokhara Airport seems to be more connected with China. It is an open truth that geopolitical sensitivities are also connected with this airport as it was built with a loan from China and built by the Chinese construction company CAMC.
Pokhara Regional International Airport, which was built as a project of national pride with a loan from China's Exim Bank, was considered to be a stressful issue because commercial flights could not take place. As a result, the government of Nepal had written a letter asking the Chinese side to convert the loan taken during the construction of the airport into a grant.
The Nepalese side is under pressure to pay the loan and interest regularly in the absence of sufficient income. The only situation that would mitigate such pressure would be more international commercial flights. Therefore, additional diplomatic initiatives by the state are necessary.
This airport, which was built with a loan of 22 billion rupees, is losing money to the state due to lack of international commercial flights. Now, if we can attract Chinese tourists directly by expanding air links with China, Pokhara can be made a major destination for Chinese tourists. Before the Covid-19 epidemic, 169,000 Chinese tourists entered Nepal in 2019, most of whom went to Pokhara.
The number of tourists can be increased more than this every year through regular international flights. According to the data, an average tourist spends 700 to 1000 US dollars when visiting Nepal, Chinese tourists alone can generate billions of rupees annually. Therefore, the state should take this opportunity into a strategic plan and immediately take forward the tourism promotion campaign.
There is a reason to be cautious when welcoming the start of commercial flights to Pokhara, but the example of Bhairahawa is not so encouraging. Although there is enough potential for flights as it is an airport in Terai, international airlines have not been able to regular flights to Bhairahawa due to the confusion in the establishment of technical mechanisms like visa center, immigration office, labor office, health check and service providers and ILS in Bhairahawa.
Pokhara has also been criticized for building an airport with a loan without commercial strategy and preparation. In addition, geopolitical interests and corruption are also discussed regarding the construction of the airport. The initial condition of this airport is raising questions about the justification of the international airport that is supposed to be built in Nijgarh.
Pokhara Airport is a source of many messages especially regarding the preparation and precautions to be taken while building the airport. Nepal's political parties and stakeholders should be able to think about this aspect. Starting international commercial flights using Pokhara Airport is an open matter. What is needed now is a strategy to dim the background apprehensions and brighten the days ahead.
Pokhara is also established as a tourist destination. At the same time, last year in March, Pokhara was officially declared the tourism capital of Nepal. Similarly, Pokhara visit year 2025 has been announced. In this background, with the start of Pokhara-Lhasa commercial flight, it will directly connect Pokhara with China. It has also opened the opportunity to bring in Chinese tourists directly to Pokhara.
China's population is 1.4 billion. So it is also a huge source of tourists. Lhasa, where the flight started, is a city with ancient ties to Nepal. Therefore, an opportunity has been created to bring in tourists from there and refresh relations. Not only for tourism, but also for business and culture exchange, this flight can become a helper and a start.
