KATHMANDU, August 2: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has granted permission to Thai AirAsia to operate flights from both Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa. The airline had requested permission to operate flights for seven days a week, and the regulatory body of Nepal has approved four flights from Gautam Buddha International Airport and three flights from Tribhuvan International Airport.

The Thailand-based AirAsia Group had applied to the CAAN to operate daily flights from Tribhuvan International Airport. However, due to planned expansion work that will close the airport for 10 hours daily starting on November 1, 2024, the authority has asked the airline to operate four flights from Gautam Buddha International Airport instead.

Gyanendra Bhul, information officer of CAAN, stated that the company has applied for one daily flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu, beginning from September 24, 2024.

"With the airport getting closed for 10 hours daily and operating only for 14 hours starting from November 1, 2024, the airport's capacity will decrease," said Bhul. "Therefore, out of the daily flights requested by the company, four flights have been approved for Bhairahawa."

Gautam Buddha International Airport, inaugurated in May 16, 2022, currently has no regular international flights. Thai AirAsia has now been permitted to operate four flights a week from this airport. Earlier, Al Jazeera Airways began regular flights to this airport but later discontinued them. The lack of regular flights at Gautam Buddha and Pokhara international airports, both of which were built with foreign loans, continues to add to the financial burden on the government.