December 4: Nepal Oil Corporation has established an aviation refueling centre at Simara Airport in Bara district. Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Ramesh Rijal, inaugurated the centre on Sunday.    
Simara Airport, the second oldest airport after the Kathmandu-based Tribhuvan International Airport, did not have refueling facility until now.    
Minister Rijal, on the occasion, said that the NOC had been providing the LPG gas cylinders to the consumers at a cheap price despite incurring loss.    
Similarly, NOC Spokesperson Manoj Thakur said the newly inaugurated centre would facilitate internal flights.    
The operation of the centre has ended the situation of diverting flights towards Bhairahawa or Biratnagar in case of bad weather or pressure of air traffic in Kathmandu, he said.    
The flight time from Kathmandu to Simara is 15 minutes in average.    
The refueling centre is expected to benefit both the aviation industry and air travelers by strengthening the connectivity and accessibility of air travel.    
It is the first refueling centre established in this fiscal year. More such centres would be established in the coming days, according to the state-owned oil monopoly.    
Plans are afoot to establish such centres at Bharatpur Airport and Jumla Airport within this fiscal year, informed Umesh Prasad Thani, executive director of the NOC.    
At present, around 900 to 1,000 passengers are availing services from the Simara Airport operating some 9 flights to and from it on a daily basis. -- RSS