March 9: Regular international flights have resumed at the Bhairahawa-based Gautam Buddha International Airport, the second largest airport in the country, starting from today (March 9). The airport had remained closed during the winter due to poor visibility after Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways, the only airline company which had been operating international flights to and from this airport, suspended flights since December 21, 2022, citing bad weather.  

A plane of the Jazeera Airways carrying 66 passengers from Kuwait landed at the Gautam Buddha International Airport at 7:15 am on Thursday and it took off at 8:15 am with 99 passengers on board, said Jagannath Niraula, spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).    
According to him, operation of flights to and from Bhairahawa has become easier now with the weather becoming clear and Jazeera Airways will operate regular flights three days a week – Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.    
The Gautam Buddha International Airport has the capacity to handle 30 to 40 flights  day.

The airport, which came into operation almost a year ago, is an alternative to the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.     -- RSS
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