As part of a tiff with the aviation authority, Nepal Airlines is seeking to restore four weekly flights to Delhi

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) said on Tuesday that its income had been slashed, and it had to reroute passengers at an additional cost. (File Photo)

Nepal Airlines Corporation has requested the civil aviation authority to withdraw its unilateral decision to cut flights on the lucrative Kathmandu-Delhi route from 14 to 10 per week for not utilising the newly-opened Gautam Buddha International Airport.

After the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) cut the number of flights to Delhi from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) said Tuesday that its income had been reduced and it was having to deal with the additional costs associated with rerouting passengers.

From October 30, Delhi flights from TIA will be reduced to 10 from 14 per week.

In the west of Kathmandu, the country’s capital lies Gautam Buddha International Airport.

Himalayan Airlines has lost around Rs 90.5 million per week due to the reduction of four flights per week during peak season.
A NAC official was quoted in the Times newspaper.

One of the primary income sources for NAC was the two daily Kathmandu-Delhi flights, which were near full occupancy.

An official quoted in the report described NAC’s reduction of historical slots in Kathmandu-Delhi as ‘forceful and unilateral’.

The CAAN has reduced Nepal Airlines’ flights in the Kathmandu-Delhi sector from 14 earlier to 10 per week since October 30 to reduce air traffic at the TIA and better use Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), Nepal’s second international airport.

Gyanendra Bhul, CAAN’s information officer, said that the authority had been forced to reduce NAC’s Delhi flights because the company was dilly-dallying in operating them from GBIA.

Nepal Airlines is seeking permission from CAAN to operate four more flights connecting Delhi, according to spokesperson Archana Khadka.

In addition to providing Nepalis with medical treatment and students going to India for higher studies, these flights also provide business opportunities and connections to other countries.

She said Nepal Airlines would fly four flights a week between Kathmandu and Delhi via the Gautam Buddha International Airport.