KATHMANDU, Dec 16: Regular flights have begun from today at the airport in Surkhet, the provincial capital of Karnali Province, with an ATR-72 aircraft taking off the airport's runway. 

Buddha Air's ATR-72 airplane started flight on the Kathmandu-Surkhet-Kathmandu route from today and flights will be carried out on this route on a regular basis, according to Jagannath Niraula, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

Test flights were conducted at the airport on November 16 this year. Following the success of the test flights, regular flights are going to be conducted from the airport. 

The aircraft carrying 70 passengers including high-ranking officers of CAAN operated its first commercial flight from Surkhet, informed Dipendra Kumar Karna, information officer for Buddha Air.

Regular and commercial flights to and from Surkhet will contribute to tourism promotion of Karnali Province. The regular flights at the airport will make the airfare on this route less costly, CAAN Spokesperson Niraula said.

One-way airfare between Kathmandu and Surkhet has been fixed at up to Rs 14,000 per person. The airport capacity has been expanded, according to CAAN. 

Shree Airlines had conducted a test flight at the Surkhet Airport before the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the pandemic, flights at the airport were irregular. But, plans are afoot to resume regular flights at the airport soon, said Anil Manandhar, manager of Shree Airlines. 

Yeti Airlines will also conduct a flight soon, said Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesperson for the airline. 

Buddha Air had conducted a test flight at the airport on 1st February, 2013, and has been operating a flight through its ATR-72 aircraft for five years. 

 
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