The Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Lumbini has requested that the Gautam Buddha International Airport in Lumbini be established as the base for ‘narrow-body’ airlines.
NATTA has concluded that operating narrow-body flights from Bhairahawa will only be sustainable for destinations in China, Buddhist countries, and labor destinations in the Gulf if such flights are operated from the Bhairahawa base.
This conclusion was reached at a workshop held in Butwal, as stated in a press release issued today. In the release, signed jointly by the President Chandra Bahadur Thapa and General Secretary Sita Basyal, NATTA has called for the government to create more effective plans for the operation of the Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa.
The association also demanded the announcement of incentive packages and the arrangement of daily inter-province flights for a fixed period from at least one aircraft of every domestic airline.
Additionally, NATTA has called for the declaration of discounted bus and hotel services for international air travelers and the adoption of passenger-friendly policies. The press release also stated that a list of tourism programs for the year was determined through a planning workshop and fellowship program.
The workshop and fellowship program, held under the leadership of Madhav Nepal, a member of the Lumbini Province Tourism Council, involved the participation of 50 travel businesses and resulted in the formation of various thematic committees.