Santosh Pokharel

The contributor for Republica.
news@myrepublica.com

PM Deuba to inaugurate PRIA on January 1

Published On: December 13, 2022 08:30 AM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Dec 13: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is all set to inaugurate the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) on January 1. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal CAAN) is preparing to operate the airport from the first day of the English New Year (January 1, 2023). Top leaders of various political parties including Prime Minister Deuba will attend the inauguration of the airport in Pokhara on January 1.

Future of paragliding in Pokhara becomes uncertain as int’l airport comes into operation

Published On: December 11, 2022 09:20 AM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

KATHMANDU, Dec 11: There are 60 paragliding companies operating tandem flights in the sky of Pokhara. Commercial paragliding in this lake city started about two and a half decades ago. Most of those companies fly from Sarangkot and land in Pokhara. Some have also started commercial flights for tourists outside Pokhara.

Commercial paragliding flights from Mansangkot in Syangja to begin

Published On: December 7, 2022 03:45 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Dec 7: With preparations for bringing the international airport in Pokhara into operation, there is still confusion about the future of paragliding in the skies of Pokhara. Entrepreneurs want to continue paragliding in the skies of Pokhara to the extent possible.

Pokhara Regional Int'l Airport: Calibration flights conducted

Published On: November 30, 2022 01:40 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 30: The mechanical test (calibration flight) has been completed at the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), which is being prepared to be put into operation from the first week of January, 2023. Mechanical testing of the airport was done for a week. However, the report has not  arrived yet.

Airlines connecting Pokhara to India

Published On: November 25, 2022 12:35 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 25: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is preparing to bring the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) into operation from January 1, 2023. Accordingly, the calibration flight (mechanical test) is now being carried out. The airport will become operational after the calibration flight is carried out successfully and the test flights are completed.

Vindu Kumar Thapa wins in Kaski-2B

Published On: November 24, 2022 01:35 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 24: Vindu Kumar Thapa of Nepali Congress has won a seat in the Provincial Assembly from Kaski-2B. He defeated CPN-UML's Meena Gurung by a margin of 1,309 votes and was elected as a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly.

Positive indication in Nepal’s tourism sector as tourist arrival rises

Published On: November 21, 2022 09:35 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 21: The tourism sector which was badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic is returning back on track. As a proof of it, 88,582 tourists entered Nepal till November. In ten months of the year 2022, a total of 4,73,563 tourists have entered Nepal.

More than 50 percent votes cast in Mustang and Manang

Published On: November 20, 2022 04:28 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 20: More than 50 percent of votes have been cast in the mountain districts of Manang and Mustang, according to the election officials there. Electoral officials have said that in Mustang, a district across the Himalayas, 51 percent of votes were cast and in Manang, another Himalayan district, 55 percent of the eligible voters cast their votes.

Aircraft arrives in Pokhara to conduct 'calibration flight'

Published On: November 19, 2022 08:30 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 19: An Aero Thai aircraft has arrived in Pokhara for calibration flights (mechanical test) at the Pokhara Regional International Airport.

Paragliding pilots with health issues not allowed to fly

Published On: November 18, 2022 04:30 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 18: It has been found that some paragliding pilots fly in the skies of Pokhara despite having some health problems. During a test conducted recently, some pilots with serious health problems were barred from flying. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has banned pilots with health problems from flying for at least six months.

Pokhara airport receives 3,800 passengers daily

Published On: November 6, 2022 11:48 AM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 6:  The number of air passengers has increased significantly in recent times due to the increasingly difficult road travel, the tourist season and the increasing habit of traveling among domestic guests. According to the Pokhara airport, more than 3,800 passengers received air services from the airport in one day. This is the highest number of passengers flying to and from the Pokhara Airport.

These paragliding pilots came all the way from Europe, but they could not fly

Published On: November 1, 2022 07:35 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Nov 1: A paragliding pilot from Spain stayed at the office of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in Pokhara for three hours a few days ago. The reason the foreigner spent three hours at the authority was to get permission for paragliding.

Pokhara Regional Int'l Airport: Inauguration in two months, but major obstacles remain

Published On: October 30, 2022 08:00 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Oct 30: It's almost three months ago that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the regulatory body of Nepal's airspace, set the date of operation of Pokhara Regional International Airport on January 1, 2023. If the airport starts its operation on the day specified by the authority, the flights should operate from the airport in the next two months.

Ban on paragliding lifted with five conditions

Published On: October 23, 2022 04:30 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Oct 23: Paragliding flights across the country, which were halted after a paragliding athlete died in an accident during the ninth national games, have resumed from Sunday. After the accident, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had suspended all kinds of paragliding flights across the country indefinitely.

Tourism entrepreneurs warn to protest if paragliding suspension is not withdrawn

Published On: October 20, 2022 07:30 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Oct 20: In the second week of December 2020, Raju Gaire, 38, died in a paragliding accident in Pokhara. Even before Raju, there were occasional paragliding accidents in the skies of Pokhara, but all of them were solo or trainee accidents. However, Raju had an accident during a tandem (passenger) flight, which was the first incident in which a pilot had died in a tandem flight accident.

'Calibration flight' deferred further due to delay in cutting off Ritthepani hill

Published On: October 13, 2022 03:45 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Oct 13: One of the main obstacles to bring Pokhara Regional International Airport into operation is cutting off the Ritthepani hill, which has not yet started. Ritthepani hill lies on the east of Pokhara Regional International Airport's 'approach' area. As the work of cutting off the hill on the approach has not started, the calibration flight has also been pushed back as a result.

Korean and Nepali missing in avalanche at Dhaulagiri Base Camp

Published On: October 10, 2022 04:00 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Oct 10: A Korean tourist and his Nepali companion who had gone on a trek to Dhaulagiri base camp are missing following an avalanche in the area.

Avalanche in Manaslu mountain base camp, bad weather makes rescue difficult

Published On: September 26, 2022 03:06 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Sept 26: A massive avalanche has hit the base camp area of Mountain ​​Manaslu. Locals said that the avalanche occurred between Camp 3 and Camp 4 of Manaslu Himal in Chumanubri Rural Municipality-1, Samagaon.

326,667 tourists arrive in eight months

Published On: September 4, 2022 02:45 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, Sept 4: Tourism is the most affected sector by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, foreign tourists could not come to Nepal for almost two years. During the two-year period, the arrival of foreign guests remained zero in some months. However, in 2022, the arrival of foreigners started to improve. In the period of eight months (January-August) this year, a total of 326,667 foreign tourists have entered Nepal.

3,670 Chinese tourists have visited Nepal so far in 2022

Published On: August 5, 2022 06:30 PM NPT By: Santosh Pokharel

POKHARA, August 5: Tourists from China, which is considered to be one of the main sources of foreign tourists for Nepal’s tourism sector, have started visiting Nepal. As many as 1,593 Chinese tourists entered Nepal by air in the month of July. According to Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), this influx of Chinese tourists in July is the largest since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.