Bhairahawa Airport Awaits Flights as Businesses Seek Government Push

Nearly four and a half years after opening, Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa remains devoid of regular international flights, leaving local entrepreneurs anxious about billions of rupees poured into surrounding tourism infrastructure, according to Gorkhapatra and Nagarik News.

The state spent roughly Rs 35 billion to construct the country's second international gateway in Rupandehi. However, commercial international traffic has ground to a halt since March 25, 2026, when Thai AirAsia operated a Bangkok–Bhairahawa turnaround that brought 14 incoming travelers and carried 106 departing passengers. Pawan Agrahari, information officer at the airport, confirmed to state news agency RSS that no international services have operated since then and the facility has received no forthcoming international flight schedules from higher authorities.

With the recent political transition and the installation of a Rastriya Swatantra Party government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, private sector groups in Rupandehi are renewing calls for state intervention, Shilapatra reported. Business delegations have met with the prime minister and the minister for culture, tourism, and civil aviation, urging the cabinet to prioritize Bhairahawa and secure commitments from at least one international carrier.

Local business owners argue that the lack of international air traffic puts vast investments at risk. Sagar Adhikari, former president of the Lumbini chapter of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents, noted that private firms have invested more than double the government's Rs 35 billion outlay in hotels, transport, and ancillary tourism businesses in anticipation of direct flights to the birthplace of the Buddha. Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Netra Prasad Acharya told reporters that past appeals to former prime ministers KP Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Sher Bahadur Deuba yielded only sporadic charter flights rather than sustainable routes, but the new administration offers a fresh opportunity.

Renewed optimism in Rupandehi has also been spurred by developments at Pokhara International Airport, where Flydubai inaugurated daily services from Dubai on September 23 utilizing Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, Nepal Press reported. Business leaders contend that if Pokhara can secure regular international connections, Bhairahawa can do the same if the government addresses lingering operational gaps.

Despite government concessions on parking charges and aviation fuel, entrepreneurs point out that Bhairahawa still lacks critical passenger support services. Essential facilities—including visa biometric processing, foreign employment medical screening, insurance providers, labour permit desks, and No Objection Certificate clearance—remain centralized or unavailable locally, hampering outbound migrant travel and inbound tourist flows alike. Since its inauguration, the airport has seen 1,222 scheduled and chartered international flights carrying 69,377 travelers, comprising 31,932 arrivals and 37,445 departures, but its runways now sit largely quiet.