Buddha Air has temporarily suspended its direct flights between Nepalgunj and Pokhara, a service that had been operating for nearly five years.
According to Buddha Air’s Nepalgunj Station Chief, Binit Bikram Shah, the suspension was caused by a decline in the number of religious tourists arriving from India and rising fuel costs. He stated that the Nepalgunj–Pokhara direct flight has been halted for at least one month.
Shah explained that the ongoing Malmas period, considered inauspicious in the Hindu calendar, has significantly reduced the number of Indian tourists traveling to Nepal. Combined with increasing aviation fuel prices, the airline was forced to suspend the route temporarily.
The direct Nepalgunj–Pokhara service had been operating three times a week since Shrawan 17, 2078 BS, with the objective of promoting tourism and making travel easier for Indian visitors. The flights were officially suspended starting Tuesday.
The suspension has disappointed travelers, tourism entrepreneurs, and residents of western Nepal. With the direct air service halted, passengers are now once again compelled to rely on road transportation, which can take at least 14 hours to reach Pokhara from Nepalgunj.
The service had originally been launched through the initiative of the Association of Tours and Travel Agents (NATTA) Nepalgunj. Founding President of NATTA Nepalgunj, Shriram Sigdel, said Buddha Air had officially informed them about the suspension of regular scheduled flights, adding that the future of the service now appears uncertain.
Sigdel argued that the flight service was introduced largely due to private sector efforts, while the government failed to take necessary initiatives to sustain it. He noted that travelers are once again being forced into long and difficult road journeys despite the availability of a direct flight that could reach Pokhara in just 35 minutes.
Buddha Air had been operating the route using an 18-seat Beechcraft 1900D aircraft.
When the service was introduced, it generated significant enthusiasm in Nepal’s tourism sector. The route made it easier for tourists traveling from Pokhara to access destinations such as Bardiya National Park, Karnali Chisapani, and Rara Lake through Nepalgunj. It also provided convenient travel options for Indian tourists arriving from cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, and Delhi.
At the time of launch, airfare for the route ranged from Rs 4,935 to Rs 7,635. There had even been plans to expand the service to daily flights if passenger demand continued to rise. However, Buddha Air Nepalgunj stated that increasing fuel prices led to fare adjustments, which ultimately reduced passenger traffic and contributed to the suspension of the flights.
