BHAIRAHAWA, Nov 11: The business community in Bhairahawa has expressed disappointment after international flights once again bypassed Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) during diversions from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
TIA’s operations were disrupted for nearly five hours on Saturday due to a technical glitch in its airfield lighting system, forcing Korean Air and Fly Dubai to divert their flights to Delhi and Lucknow, respectively.
Despite Nepal having two additional international airports — in Bhairahawa and Pokhara — neither airline chose to land there. Local industrialists and residents said they were disheartened by the repeated neglect of these facilities, questioning why flights were diverted to airports in neighboring countries instead.
Witnesses said the two aircraft flew over Bhairahawa’s airspace but did not attempt to land. Similar cases occurred last year when Vistara and Fly Dubai flights heading to Kathmandu diverted to Lucknow instead of Bhairahawa.
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Although the GBIA was developed as an alternative to Kathmandu airport for emergency use, only three diverted international flights have landed there so far — including an Air China aircraft.
The national pride project, inaugurated on May 15, 2022, has yet to operate at full capacity. There are currently no regular international flights from the airport. Locals and aviation stakeholders say this has undermined Nepal’s tourism promotion and economic goals.
Sources familiar with the situation said the airport lacks adequate facilities for passengers and crew during emergency night landings, including accommodation and support services. The absence of qualified technical personnel has further discouraged international carriers from using the airport.
“There is a ground handling team at Bhairahawa, but it does not include engineers,” said GBIA spokesperson Shyam Kishor Saha, adding that the shortage of technical staff is one of the main reasons airlines avoid landing there.
Another factor cited is the price difference in aviation fuel, which is reportedly cheaper in India. However, stakeholders noted that GBIA is geographically closer to Kathmandu than Lucknow, making diversions within Nepal more cost-effective.
Even Nepal Airlines has followed the same pattern, opting for Lucknow instead of Bhairahawa during diversions.
Local business leader Thakur Kumar Shrestha, former chairperson of the Siddhartha Commerce and Industry Association, accused the government of failing to promote GBIA diplomatically and commercially. “Saturday’s incident shows that these two regional international airports were built only for namesake,” he said.
Although the Bhairahawa and Pokhara airports are multi-million-rupee national projects, both remain underutilized and largely dependent on domestic flights. The absence of foreign employment agencies and limited travel operators to support outbound traffic are also blamed for the low international flight demand.
GBIA had remained completely closed since April 2025, except for a few chartered operations. Air Asia resumed two flights per week from this month. During last year’s winter schedule, the airport handled 12,787 arriving and 11,111 departing passengers.
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