Rupandehi. The Gautam Buddha International Airport, which was built with a lot of investment by the state for the expansion of tourism and aviation infrastructure of the country, is waiting for regular international flights.

The private sector and local residents of Rupandehi district are once again worried about the future of the airport as regular international flights have not been able to take place even after four and a half years of its operation.

Entrepreneurs who have invested heavily in hotels, tourism, transportation and various industries and businesses keeping the airport at the center have been drawing the attention of the government time and again for regular international flights. The entrepreneurs have complained that they have been putting forth their demands through memorandums, discussions, sit-ins and agitations to the Prime Minister, Tourism Minister, federal parliamentarians and concerned ministries and bodies, but the expected results have not been achieved.

Entrepreneurs say that the investment of the private sector is also at risk as the airport constructed by the state with an investment of about Rs 35 billion has not been able to regularize international flights. They say that although there is a huge investment in hotels, tourism infrastructure, transport and other businesses in Bhairahawa and surrounding areas in the expectation of the airport coming into operation, the expected results have not been achieved due to lack of regular air connectivity.

Tourism entrepreneur and former president of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Lumbini, Sagar Adhikari, said that the investment made by the private sector keeping the airport at the center is double the investment made by the state. “The private sector has invested in the belief that the airport will come into operation, regular international flights will take place and tourist arrivals will increase in Lumbini. However, due to the lack of regular flights for a long time, the expected return from the investment has not been achieved,” he said.

Since the airport came into operation, the businessmen have been requesting various governments to regularize international flights. The businessmen had also demanded the then Prime Ministers KP Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Sher Bahadur Deuba to start regular flights from at least one airline. Although some airlines companies operated international flights at different times, they could not continue.

Netra Prasad Acharya, president of Siddhartha Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that despite the pressure from the private sector for regular flights, the problem has not been resolved. According to him, after the recent political changes, the private sector has got some hope from the new government.

“The government can take initiative to operate at least one airline regular flight to the airport with such a huge potential. But that could not happen in the past,” he said, adding, “There is some hope after the formation of the new government.” The government should take initiative by giving priority to the airport of Bhairahawa. ”

Tourism and industry entrepreneurs of Rupandehi have been raising the issue of airport operation again after the Rastriya Swatantra Party government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah assumed office. The delegation of entrepreneurs met with the Prime Minister and the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and urged them to take initiatives for the operation of the airport and regular international flights.

Meanwhile, Flydubai has started daily flights from Dubai to Pokhara from September 23 at Pokhara International Airport. The flight started with a Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft has shown a new possibility of expanding international air connectivity in western Nepal.

After the resumption of international flights in Pokhara, the businessmen of Bhairahawa have also increased the expectation that regular flights will start again from Gautam Buddha International Airport. Entrepreneurs have said that the government should take necessary initiative to connect both airports in regular international air network as both Pokhara and Bhairahawa are important international airports in western Nepal.

So far, 69,377 passengers have availed international services from Gautam Buddha International Airport. During this period, 1,222 scheduled and charter international flights have been conducted. A total of 31,932 passengers have come to Nepal from different countries and 37,445 passengers have left these flights.

The last time Thai AirAsia operated a Bangkok-Bhairahawa and Bhairahawa-Bangkok flights from the airport was on March 25, 2026. The flight carried 14 passengers from Bangkok to Bhairahawa and 106 passengers from Bhairahawa to Bangkok.

According to Pawan Agrahari, information officer at Gautam Buddha International Airport, there have been no international flights at the airport since then. He said that the new schedule of international flights has not been received for the time being. “We are not aware of what preparations are being made from the higher levels. There is no schedule for international flights immediately,” he said.

Entrepreneurs say that although the government has arranged various discounts and concessions in parking and fuel to attract international airlines to the airport, some services required for international passengers are not easily available from the airport. They complain that the environment for the operation of the airport has not been fully prepared due to the lack of services like visa center, no objection letter, health check-up, insurance, manpower and other services from the concerned office.

According to entrepreneurs, the private sector has invested in the hope that the number of foreign tourists coming to Lumbini will increase after the operation of the international airport, hotel and tourism business will expand, employment will be created and business activities around Bhairahawa will increase. However, these expectations have not been fulfilled due to lack of regular flights.

Even the lawmakers representing Rupandehi have been raising the issue of the operation of Gautam Buddha International Airport in the Federal Parliament from time to time. Businessmen, however, have said that despite the efforts of raising their voice in the parliament and protesting on the streets, the airport has not become a solid basis for regular operation.

The major infrastructure of the airport, including the runway, terminal building, etc. is ready. The private sector has also invested in hotels and other tourism infrastructure for the operation of the airport. However, due to the lack of regular international flights, the prepared infrastructure has not been fully utilized.

At present, the main concern of the private sector in Rupandehi is not on the issue of airport construction but on how to ensure regular international flights. Entrepreneurs are hoping that after the start of regular flights of Fly Dubai in Pokhara, at least one international airline will be able to operate regular flights in Bhairahawa.

As Lumbini is the birthplace of Lord Buddha and is linked to major tourist destinations in western Nepal, the entrepreneurs have hoped that the integration of Gautam Buddha International Airport into regular international air connectivity would have an impact on Rupandehi tourism as well as industry, trade and service sector of Rupandehi.

Looking at the airport built with the huge investment of the state, the huge investment of the private sector and the international tourism potential of Lumbini, now we are waiting for a concrete initiative to bring the Gautam Buddha International Airport into regular flights. For businessmen, this is not just a matter of operating an airport but it has become an issue related to investment, employment and tourism development of Lumbini for years.