Sita Gharti of Myagdi, who had spent 10 years in Dubai on a work visa, returned home Wednesday. As she stepped out of the Pokhara International Airport—the gateway to the famous Annapurna Circuit—after arriving on Flydubai’s inaugural Dubai-Pokhara flight, her face lit up with joy.

After landing, she reached Phulbari in Pokhara within a few minutes and met her children. “I am very happy that I landed in Pokhara directly on the very first flight,” she said.

Gharti learned about the new service from workers based in Nepal. “I had been hearing that the first flight would operate from Pokhara,” she said. “I asked the brother who arranges my tickets. I learned that there was a discount for passengers on the first flight, so I booked my ticket and came.”

She said flying directly to Pokhara was far more convenient than first landing in Kathmandu and then travelling overland.

“Indeed, it is a great advantage for us to land in Pokhara. My children live here,” she said. “From here, it is also easy to travel to Beni, Baglung and surrounding districts. It is extremely convenient.”

The airport is Nepal’s third international airport and officially began operations on January 1, 2023. 

However, since its opening, it had received no scheduled international passenger flights, apart from a handful of chartered services, raising concerns that the Chinese-funded facility could become a “white elephant” and a symbol of Nepal’s growing debt burden. 

Promoted as a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China's massive global infrastructure and economic development strategy, Beijing financed the construction through a loan from the China Exim Bank. Nepal though has denied it as a BRI project. However, the ongoing financial scandal has sparked intense domestic and regional scrutiny. 

Despite being inaugurated in January 2023, the $216 million airport has struggled to attract regular international commercial flights, leading critics to label it a financial albatross complicated by regional geopolitical tensions and restricted air routes. 

The lack of regular international services has also raised questions about the airport’s commercial viability, given the substantial investment in its construction and the government’s expectations that it would help boost tourism, connectivity and economic activity in western Nepal.

The launch of regular flights is therefore seen as a significant test of whether the airport can move beyond its prolonged underutilisation and establish itself as a viable international gateway. 

For local businesses and tourism operators, the new connectivity could provide access to overseas markets, attract more foreign visitors and create new opportunities for investment and employment.

Mukesh Dangol, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, also sees challenges, but says he is optimistic that the facility would begin drawing international airlines to Nepal’s tourism capital.  

He called on all stakeholders to work together and coordinate their efforts to ensure the service operates regularly.

“There are opportunities along with the challenges. Since Flydubai started its service, various airlines have shown interest,” he said. “If we make this successful, we are confident that other airlines will also start services.”

Among Wednesday’s passengers were members of the Kandara, the popular Nepali folk-pop and soft-rock band founded in Pokhara in 1992. They spent 17 hours in transit in Dubai before taking the new service to Pokhara.

For musician Sunil Thapa, the journey was different from the band’s previous tours.

“We travel on tour so often, but this is the first time we have been this excited,” he said. “The thought that we could come directly home and land practically at our doorstep made us so excited that we didn’t even feel tired after the long journey.”

Thapa said foreign tourists travelling on the flight were thrilled to see the mountains from the aircraft as it approached Pokhara.

For Kandara’s lead singer, Bibek Shrestha, the flight felt like the fulfilment of a dream.

“It cannot be expressed in words. We have travelled abroad for musical performances for many years, but we always had to land in Kathmandu to come to Pokhara,” he said. “This time, we came because we felt we had to be on this historic flight.”

Shrestha said the new service could open up significant opportunities for the region.

“There is no better option than this for passengers from this region. It has opened many doors of opportunity. The service has started, and now we all have to work together to make it sustainable,” he said. “We need to promote the fact that international flights operate from Pokhara International Airport. When tourists bypass Kathmandu, they get to see a different part of the country.”

Passengers departing from Pokhara for overseas destinations were equally pleased.

On Wednesday, a group of 33 workers travelling to Dubai on work visas through the same Kathmandu-based manpower agency departed from Pokhara on the inaugural flight. The passengers had come from as far away as Dang and Butwal.

Twenty-one-year-old Sunil Bhujel, who was travelling to Dubai on a work visa, said he felt fortunate to be among the passengers on Pokhara’s first international flight.

“We are very happy that we no longer have to travel to Kathmandu,” he said. “I had expected to make a trip to Kathmandu, but then, all of a sudden, an international flight started operating directly from Pokhara.”

He said he hoped to return to Nepal through Pokhara as well.

Arjun Sunar, a worker from Dang travelling to Dubai, also expressed his happiness.

“I am happy to be travelling to Dubai on the first flight from Pokhara. But I am anxious about leaving the country,” he said. “If everything goes well, I will return through Pokhara.”

Sunil Chhetri, who was travelling to Britain from Pokhara on a student visa, recalled the difficulties passengers previously faced.

“Earlier, people from Pokhara had to travel to Kathmandu with their luggage and then fly to other countries via Dubai,” he said. “Now, flying directly from Pokhara saves us the cost and the hassle of travelling to Kathmandu. Relatives and friends can also see them off right here in Pokhara.”

The inaugural Boeing 737 MAX was flown to Pokhara by a crew led by Nepali pilot Sarbajit Yadav. Nepali crew members Binod Giri, Rashmi Thapa and Kusum Tamang were also on board, along with two foreign crew members.

The aircraft, which has 166 seats, arrived in Pokhara on Wednesday with 133 passengers and returned to Dubai with 152 passengers. On Thursday, 135 passengers arrived in Pokhara, while 146 departed for Dubai.

For tourism entrepreneur Pom Narayan Shrestha, who was involved in efforts to bring Flydubai to Pokhara, the launch marked the culmination of a long struggle.

“We struggled a lot while building this airport. We even went on hunger strikes. The airport was completed, but international flights could not be operated,” he said. “After relentless efforts, regular flights between Pokhara and Dubai have finally started. This is a matter of pride for all of us. Our dream has come true today.”

The passenger numbers on the first two days have further encouraged him. The higher-than-expected numbers have given tourism entrepreneurs fresh energy and enthusiasm, he said.

“We have received such a positive signal right from the beginning. There is currently one flight a day, but if demand increases, there is also the possibility of operating two flights a day,” he said. “We need to promote Pokhara so that other airlines are encouraged to operate flights from here as well.”

Although the initial response to Flydubai’s service has been encouraging, tourism entrepreneurs are equally concerned about the challenge of making the service sustainable.

Hari Bhujel, president of the Pokhara Tourism Council, called for greater coordination among tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara, other businesses, local governments and the provincial government.

“If we can make this successful, it will create a golden chapter in Pokhara’s aviation history,” he said.

Sangita Paudel, president of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA) Gandaki, said the sustainability of Flydubai’s service would not be a major concern if migrant workers from Gandaki Province, students travelling abroad, non-resident Nepalis and their relatives, and tourists travelling on package tours chose to fly from Pokhara.

“Pokhara is the most convenient location for people from areas stretching from East Rukum and West Rukum to Dolpa,” Paudel said. “Pokhara airport is also convenient for passengers from Palpa, Gulmi and Arghakhanchi in Lumbini province, as well as those from Chitwan. It can be developed as the international gateway to western Nepal.”