Pokhara, Nov 20: Direct flights between Pokhara and Bhutan have finally begun, marking a long-delayed step for Pokhara International Airport. The service started on Tuesday after earlier plans for four charter flights, announced by Universal Tours and Travels for late September and early October, fell through. Those flights had been set for September 28 and October 2, 6 and 10, but none took off. Pokhara Metropolitan City Chief Dhanraj Acharya confirmed the official launch of Bhutan Airlines’ Pokhara-Paro route. The first flight arrived empty from Bhutan, then carried nine passengers and crew back to Paro. Acharya said a scheduled group trip for the inaugural day had to be cancelled due to technical issues, but he expects operations to settle soon. Bhutan Airlines and UTT have both assured that the route will move toward regular service. The start of flights had been pushed back because of earlier unrest in Nepal. Though the inaugural flight is done, Bhutan Airlines says full regular flights will begin only from April 2026. The carrier uses 126-seat aircraft, and UTT has prepared a four-night, five-day package for travelers. Pokhara Tourism Council Chair Taranath Pahari said the new route should encourage more visitors in both countries. The government has offered incentives to promote international flights from Pokhara and Bhairahawa. Except for a quarter of the ground handling fee charged by Nepal Airlines, passengers pay no service charges. Parking, landing and navigation fees have been waived for international flights from these airports since August 2024. Bhutan Airlines already runs four weekly flights to Kathmandu. Pokhara has seen other international connections too, including a charter flight from Sichuan Airlines in June and regular Chengdu flights by Himalayan Airlines. Sichuan Airlines is preparing a Pokhara Sichuan Australia service, while Himalayan Airlines has a weekly Pokhara Lhasa flight. With flights from Bhutan, China and Himalayan Airlines, Pokhara International Airport is slowly gaining momentum. Opened on January 1, 2023, the airport covers 3, 900 ropanis, costs about Rs 2. 2 billion to build and can handle up to 800, 000 passengers each year.’ People’s News Monitoring Service.
https://mypeoplesreview.com/2025/11/20/pokhara-bhutan-direct-flights-start/
Pokhara-Bhutan direct flights start
