1. Buddha Air assessed the feasibility of Kathmandu-Pakyong flights at Pakyong Airport.
2. The team engaged with the Air Traffic Controller for insights during their visit.
3. Airport Director S.K. Singh guided the team through a tour of the airport facilities.
Gangtok, June 11: Buddha Air recently visited Pakyong Airport to assess the feasibility of launching flights between Kathmandu and Pakyong.
During the visit, the team received a presentation from the Air Traffic Controller and toured the airport with Airport Director S.K. Singh.
The team comprised Uday Krishna Shrestha, Om Pradhananga, and Jiwan Basnett from Buddha Air.
Buddha Air plans to operate two daily flights: one directly from Kathmandu to Pakyong and another from Kathmandu to Pakyong via Guwahati.
The flight duration from Kathmandu to Pakyong is estimated to be around one hour, while the journey from Pakyong to Guwahati is expected to take approximately 35 minutes.
Initial fare estimates for the Kathmandu to Pakyong route range from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 7,000, although Singh has urged Buddha Air to consider reducing it to Rs. 5,000-6,000.
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The airline is optimistic about passenger demand for these routes, given its successful operations from Kathmandu to Varanasi and plans for a new route from Janakpur to Ayodhya.
The proposed flight timings are tentatively scheduled between 12 noon and 1:30 pm, utilizing ATR 500 aircraft with a capacity of 85-90 passengers.
