Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara are proving to be rather enterprising. With the government failing to attract international flights to the new airport in Nepal’s tourism capital, they have taken it upon themselves to bring the facility into use, starting with charter flights.

The Pokhara Tourism Council, an umbrella organisation of tourism entrepreneurs, has partnered with China’s Sichuan Airlines to launch charter flights between Chengdu, China, and Pokhara, Nepal. The first flight arrived on Tuesday, bringing 128 passengers from Sichuan Province.

The aircraft returned to Chengdu with 126 Nepali passengers the same day.

Entrepreneurs see this as just the beginning.

Baburam Pandey, acting president of the Pokhara Tourism Council, stated that Sichuan Airlines has committed to operating flights for 10 weeks, aiming to bring 1,250 Chinese tourists to Pokhara. A flight from Chengdu will arrive each week.

From Pokhara, three flights—including Tuesday’s—are guaranteed.

“The council got a proposal from Sichuan Airlines that if we guaranteed three flights from Pokhara, the airline would operate 10, to which we agreed,” said Pandey, hoping these chartered flights would pave the way for regular passenger flights.

Air charter involves renting an entire aircraft rather than individual seats.

The cost of each chartered flight from Pokhara to Chengdu amounts to Rs7.8 million, which Nepali businesses must cover for the number of guaranteed flights.

The $215.96 million Pokhara International Airport, funded by Beijing, was inaugurated on January 1, 2023, but has yet to get a commercial passenger flight.

But it has hosted 12 charter flights from China, Bhutan, and India.

The airport, built in a bowl-shaped and narrow valley, has limits and can adjust only narrow-body planes. It is often used to symbolise the pitfalls associated with China’s global infrastructure projects.

India still denies air entry routes for Pokhara and to another international airport in Bhairahawa, which Nepal built by hiring a Chinese contractor.

A day before the airport’s inauguration by then-prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu tweeted that the project was a flagship initiative of China-Nepal cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

While Beijing maintains that the airport was built under the BRI, the Nepal government has not officially acknowledged this.

The Pokhara airport construction resulted from intense lobbying by Pokharelis, particularly the entrepreneurs, who launched hunger strikes in 2012 to push for the project.

In January 2016, the government secured a 20-year soft loan from the Chinese EXIM Bank to fund its development.

However, poor marketing and the absence of an Operational Readiness, Activation, and Transition (ORAT) programme hindered the arrival of commercial airlines. ORAT programme engages airlines and airport users early on to ensure smooth operations, a step that Pokhara Airport failed to implement.

Entrepreneurs are now making their own efforts.

Nepali passengers who travelled to Chengdu on Tuesday, at the joint initiative of the Pokhara Tourism Council, the Pokhara Metropolitan City, and the Nepal Tourism Board, will return after a week.

The delegation, led by Pokhara mayor Dhanraj Acharya, is currently in Chengdu to promote the initiative. The team, which includes tourism entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, is participating in the ‘Pokhara-Chengdu Flight Promotion and China (Sichuan) Sales Mission 2025.’

The Nepali delegation will engage in commercial and promotional programmes in key Chinese cities such as Chengdu, Luzhou, and Leshan to strengthen business and tourism ties.

As part of the initiative, a travel package has been introduced at Rs126,000 for a 7-night, 8-day stay in Chengdu, covering round-trip airfare, food, and accommodation.

Mani Raj Lamichhane, head of the Gandaki Provincial Office of the Nepal Tourism Board, highlighted that the Pokhara-Chengdu route offers an affordable and convenient air travel option for Nepali passengers from central and western regions while also enhancing accessibility for Chinese tourists eager to explore Pokhara’s scenic beauty.

He emphasised that this new air connectivity will be crucial to increasing foreign tourist arrivals in Nepal and bolstering national tourism campaigns.

The initiative is also aimed at making Visit Pokhara Year 2025 a success, with an ambitious target of welcoming two million tourists, including Nepalis. On the other hand, Beijing has announced a ‘Visit Nepal 2025’ campaign to support Nepali tourism.

Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-Tibet joint venture, has also announced a Kathmandu-Lhasa flight from Pokhara, with the first scheduled passenger flight set for March 31. Initially operating once a week, the airline may increase frequency based on demand.

There are other marketing initiatives.

On April 1, another team of business representatives, put together by the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Lekhnath Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will fly to Chengdu.

Similarly, on April 16, a delegation comprising social organisations, public representatives, and business leaders from Pokhara will also visit the Chinese city.

Pandey described this week-long sales mission to China as the most extensive so far, believing that the Pokhara-Chengdu route will significantly strengthen air connectivity between Nepal and China, fostering tourism, cultural exchange, and business collaborations.

At Tuesday’s flight reception, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song highlighted that 2025 is a landmark year, marking the 70th anniversary of Nepal-China diplomatic relations while aligning with Nepal’s ‘Visit Nepal 2025’ campaign and the Pokhara Tourism Year initiative.

Mayor Acharya expressed optimism that while the current flights are charter-based, they will soon transition to regular commercial passenger flights.

“Sichuan Airlines has shown interest in continuing flights beyond the initial 10 charters, further bolstering hopes for sustained air connectivity between Pokhara and China,” he said.