Those in Bhairahawa and Pokhara are claimed to be impossible to reach without access from the west.
Cross-border aviation routes are once again in the spotlight as Nepal seeks additional access points from India to fill the recently finished vacant airports.
Experts think the chances of the southern neighbor cooperating are remote, with ties at an all-time low, and this is what Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will try to correct during his southern visit, which begins Wednesday.
According to Tourism Ministry sources, new air entry points are one of the top priorities on his four-day visit to New Delhi. They claim that the prime minister looks to be optimistic that things will work out.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kathmandu in 2014, Nepal formally requested India to enable aviation connectivity through Janakpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, and Mahendranagar.
These air routes would make it easier for international planes to reach the two new international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara, which are located in western Nepal.
"The issue is being discussed at higher levels this time," said Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, joint secretary in the Tourism Ministry.
On May 24, a seven-member technical team led by Lamichhane met with Indian officials to discuss the possibilities of obtaining new entry points.
"Discussions are still ongoing." "We're optimistic," Lamichhane added. "We have asked India to make the L626 route, which connects Kathmandu, Mahendranagar, and Delhi, bidirectional."
The last time Nepal introduced a new air route was on November 19, 2009, when the L626 flew over Dhangadhi. According to the air service agreement negotiated between the two countries in September of the same year, the Indian government approved the L626 route. However, it is solely for foreign carriers departing Nepal.
According to Lamichhane, Indian officials have informed them that they will respond after consulting with the Indian Air Force. "They have stated that a route safety assessment is required."
Nepal has been pleading with India for more entrance points since 2009. The airspace agenda was approved during Prime Minister Modi's August 2014 visit to Nepal.
"The cross-border direct routes will facilitate flights between regional airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa, saving time and money for air travellers and also improving air connectivity between India and Nepal," the two countries said in a joint communiqué published at the end of the visit.
Following that, the prime leaders of the two countries directed that their respective administrations meet within the following six months to resolve the issue. Nepal and India decided to make the L626 route two-way in 2016 based on this instruction.
In February 2017, the two governments agreed to form a joint technical team and begin talks about launching three aviation routes.
Because of the presence of its defense installation in Gorakhpur, the Indian side had worries about opening the airspace over Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj at the time. The facility is spread out over a broad region, and fighter aircraft drills are held on a regular basis.
They had, however, alluded to the prospect of opening areas of the airspace around Nepalgunj.
Nepal has been pressing for the expansion of cross-border air links because most aircraft traveling into the nation use only one entrance point in Simara.
For aircraft flying out of Nepal, there are seven exit points: Bhairahawa and Mahendranagar in the west, and Simara, Biratnagar, Tumlingtar, Kakkarbhitta, and Janakpur in the east.
Two more entry points have been authorized over Mechi and Tumlingtar (NONIM, east of Everest) for planes arriving from Bhutan and Lhasa, respectively.
However, the Simara entry point is used by the majority of planes travelling into Nepal and is thus frequently congested.
"The air route has now become a geopolitical issue, but Nepal has been sending government officials to deal with it," claimed an unidentified former director general of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority. "The issue should be dealt with at the political level."
The two international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara, on which Nepal has invested Rs60 billion, are thought to be technically impossible to build without western entrance gateways.
According to Tourism Ministry records, if an international flight approaching from the west is not permitted to utilize the airspace above Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj, or Mahendranagar, it must make a 300-kilometer detour to Simara to enter Nepali airspace.
According to experts, this circuitous approach to Gautam Buddha International Airport will increase airline operating costs and make flights more expensive.
International flights to Pokhara will experience the same issue. According to ministry records, international aircraft from western Nepal to Pokhara will have to fly an additional 185 kilometers if the new cross-border air routes are not opened.
However, not everyone believes that the primary reason Pokhara and Bhairahawa do not experience international air traffic is due to a lack of capacity.
"Obviously, the airport is financially unviable for westbound aircraft." However, there is no concern for planes flying east," said Sanjiv Gautam, former director general of Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority.
However, over half of the foreign flights serving Nepal arrive from the east: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, China, Bhutan, and Kolkata.
"So, why aren't planes landing at these new airports?" Gautam inquired. "The civil aviation authority is constructing a narrative in which these airports are not operating because India has not provided routes." "That is a completely false statement," he stated.
"Flights will come if Bhairahawa airport is properly marketed." First and foremost, the airport should develop a commercial climate."
According to some officials, because Pokhara airport was built with Chinese money and Bhairahawa airport was developed by a Chinese corporation, these two airports have become victims of geopolitics.
Since 2015, India has refused Himalaya Airlines landing permission to fly to New Delhi since it is owned by a Chinese business.
"There is no doubt that this is a geopolitical issue." India has also stated unequivocally that it will not purchase Nepalese electricity if any hydro project in Nepal includes a Chinese component. "The airport case is similar," insiders added.
In May of last year, Indian Prime Minister Modi flew over the new international airport in Bhairahawa as it was being opened and arrived in Lumbini.
"With all of these geopolitical developments," said another former aviation authority chief, "the possibility of getting the route is slim."
Another Tourism Ministry official told the Post that India refused to provide Buddha Air permission to fly to Lucknow from Pokhara, citing a "diplomatic issue."
From Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, Buddha Air connects to Indian airports.
Until April 2018, India was optimistic about allowing air access from the west after forming a technical team to address safety concerns.
"Then it abruptly became unforthcoming," stated one former civil aviation body air route expert.
Nepal's relations with India deteriorated after the country abruptly refused to participate in a joint military exercise of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation countries in Pune in September 2018, despite having committed to do so.
India had voiced its disappointment with Nepal's departure at the time. The Indian defense establishment was particularly enraged.
The following year, Nepal took part in the second Nepal-China joint military exercise, Sagarmatha Friendship-2, which was held in China's Sichuan Province.
Things became even more difficult, with the growth of air routes.
"Since then, the route's safety assessment has ceased," claimed the route specialist.
Following that, another debate arose. India had asked Nepal if in-flight security officers, known as air marshals, aboard Indian airlines may spend the night in Kathmandu if necessary. The demand sparked "unnecessary" uproar, with legislators questioning India's intentions.
Nepali officials say they are hopeful that India will not disappoint Nepal after five years.
If you have any problem regarding this comment us, we will help you, if you like this post share it with your friends.
Visit our website to get more information about the different topic:
OnlineNewsZone (onlinenewzzone.blogspot.com)
0 Comments