Buddha Air evaluates Nepal-Sikkim flight operations

Sikkim, June 11: Buddha Air has initiated a feasibility study to launch flight services between Kathmandu and Pakyong. A team from the airline visited Pakyong Airport, where they received a presentation from the Air Traffic Controller and toured the facility under the guidance of Airport Director S.K. Singh.

The three-member team from Buddha Air included Uday Krishna Shrestha, Om Pradhananga, and Jiwan Basnett. The airline plans to operate two daily flights: a direct route from Kathmandu to Pakyong and a second route from Kathmandu to Pakyong via Guwahati. The direct flight from Kathmandu to Pakyong is expected to take about one hour, while the flight from Pakyong to Guwahati will take approximately 35 minutes.

Initial reports suggest that the fare for the Kathmandu to Pakyong route will be between Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 7,000, though Director Singh has requested a fare adjustment to Rs. 5,000–6,000. Buddha Air is confident in the route's potential demand, drawing on their successful operations from Kathmandu to Varanasi and pending approval for a new route from Janakpur to Ayodhya.

The proposed timing for the new flights is between 12:00 noon and 1:30 pm, utilising ATR 500 aircraft with a capacity of 85–90 passengers.