Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has announced that it will operate flights to Tarigaun Airport in Tulsipur, Dang, only on Fridays for the time being. According to NAC’s Dang Chief, Bal Bahadur Sunar, this limited schedule was implemented last week due to operational constraints, with one of the corporation’s aircraft currently grounded.
“We aim to operate flights seven days a week, but currently we have only one functioning aircraft. Due to the grounded aircraft, we can only fly on Fridays for now,” said Sunar.
Flights will arrive at Tarigaun every Friday at noon and depart back to Kathmandu at 12:20 PM. The current fare for a flight from Dang to Kathmandu is NPR 7,100, while the fare from Kathmandu to Dang is NPR 7,250.
Despite this service, Sunar noted that there has been a shortage of passengers traveling from Dang to Kathmandu. Many passengers opt to travel to Bhairahawa or Nepalgunj for flights due to the lack of a regular service. Sunar believes that if the flights become more frequent, this issue will be resolved.
Last Friday, only one passenger flew from Dang to Kathmandu, highlighting the ongoing challenges. Flight services at Tarigaun Airport have been inconsistent recently, with several months passing without any flights. However, Sunar assured that this would no longer be the case, and the airline is committed to improving service regularity.
There have been repeated calls to make flights at Tarigaun more consistent, but this goal has yet to be fully realized. Established in 1954, Tarigaun Airport features a 750-meter runway, which currently accommodates only 19-seat aircraft. There is hope that extending the runway to 1,500 meters will allow 72-seat aircraft to land, enabling more regular and efficient services.
