Night flights start at Rajbiraj Airport

Beginning Monday, night flights have been operating to and from Rajbiraj Airport in Saptari.

After installing the equipment required for night flight services, Buddha Air has started operating commercial night flights at the airport.

Badri Prasad Pandey, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, announced the launch of the night flight service at Rajbiraj Airport. He was certain that the start of night flights to and from Rajbiraj would boost the growth of the travel industry and the economy as a whole.

“Rajbiraj won’t stay hidden any longer. Every attempt will be taken to guarantee the airport’s continuous operation. Only after touring the area’s natural and cultural riches will passengers return,” he stated.

The airport’s night flight service will have a multifaceted effect on the economy and other sectors, according to Tourism Minister Pandey. He stated his opinion that this airport would help to promote Nepal’s tourism industry, which is rich in the country’s varied landscape and culture.

In the near future, he underlined, direct flights from Rajbiraj to places like Pokhara must be established. The Airfield Lighting System has already been launched by Minister Pandey.

Rajbiraj Airport’s night flights are a source of pride, according to Janamat Party Chairman CK Raut, who spoke at the event. “The people of Saptari are celebrating this day with pride. Everyone now needs to concentrate on expanding the flying schedule and maintaining service continuity. “I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped bring it to this point,” he said.

According to Chairman Raut, this initiative is a critical step in the growth of tourism in the Koshi Province and the well-known Chhinnamasta Bhagwati Temple.

The operation of night flights at Rajbiraj Airport is a source of pride, according to Nepali Congress leader and former Tourism Minister Jitendra Narayan Dev, who also thanked the Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) for guaranteeing frequent flights.

He claimed that after much effort, flights have begun to operate at this airport, which will also help to boost local tourism.

As the airport serves not only Saptari but also the people from the western southern region of Sunsari to Siraha, CPN-UML leader Suman Pyakurel expressed confidence in its usefulness.

He recommended that the airport, which has had numerous flights and closures for different reasons, be used for pilot training in addition to being continuously operational.

Constituency-3 of Saptari Dinesh Kumar Yadav, a member of parliament, emphasized that everyone must work together to guarantee regular flights at the Rajbiraj Airport, which has been closed on several occasions.

Pradeep Adhikari, the CAAN’s director general, stated that Rajbiraj’s night flights have created opportunities for general growth.

At Rajbiraj Airport, Buddha Air used to run a single flight every day during the day. On Friday, December 13, Buddha Air tested a night flight with the assistance of the Civil Aviation Authority. Buddha Air began operating commercial night flights from Kathmandu to Rajbiraj on Monday, following the success of that flight.

This brings the total number of airports that provide night flights to eleven. Night flights are now available from the airports in Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Kathmandu, Rajbiraj, Simara, Janakpur, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, and Dhangadhi.

Gyanendra Bhul, the Information Officer for the CAAN, stated that passengers will no longer have to deal with flight cancellations and delays brought on by poor visibility in the winter once flights begin operating at the airport under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules).

Because Rajbiraj Airport is near Chandragadhi, Biratnagar, and Janakpur, it may also be used as a backup airport when needed, according to Buddha Air spokesperson Dipendra Kumar Karana. He asserted that Rajbiraj night flights have improved the safety and dependability of aircraft in this area.

The ability to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) at 2,000 meters will make it easier to fly even in inclement weather. In the past, VFR flights had to have a minimum visibility of 5,000 meters. According to the airport, this will alleviate the problem of flight cancellations and delays.

Buddha Air has been employing a 72-seat ATR aircraft to provide daily scheduled flights on the Kathmandu–Rajbiraj–Kathmandu route at Rajbiraj Airport since February 1, 2020.

Ganeshman Singh, the minister at the time, officially opened Rajbiraj Airport in 1960. The airport features a 1,500-meter-long and 30-meter-wide asphalt runway. Air service at Rajbiraj Airport was restored on June 24, 2018, when Shree Airlines began flying there after a lengthy closure. Nevertheless, Shree Airlines halted flights from Rajbiraj after a year of existence.

In 1995 and 2008, flights were in operation for a few days, according to the Rajbiraj Airport Office. Flights to the highland districts were briefly restarted from Rajbiraj Airport in 2009 before being halted once more.

The paved runway and other infrastructure at the airport were finished in 2018. According to local Roshan Mandal, Rajbiraj’s night flights have made it possible to promote travel to the Madhesh region.