Jazeera Airways Revives Kuwait-Bhairahawa Flights, Offering New Fare Reductions

Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways is set to resume flights to Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa after a six-month hiatus. Starting on the 12th of Kartik (October 28), Jazeera will operate the Kuwait-Bhairahawa route once again.

The airline has already submitted a request for permission to the Nepalese Civil Aviation Authority. Gyanendra Bhul, the authority’s co-spokesperson, stated that all necessary procedures would be completed, and approval for the flights would be granted by the end of October.

“Jazeera Airways, which was one of the first international airlines to operate at Gautam Buddha International Airport, has requested to resume flights. Permission will be granted starting from October 28,” said Bhul. He also mentioned that the airline would be using an Airbus A320Neo with a seating capacity of 180 passengers for the route.

Jazeera plans to operate flights three times a week on the Kuwait-Bhairawa-Kuwait route, a five-hour journey. The flights will land in Bhairahawa at 6:25 AM and return to Kuwait at 7:10 AM. Jazeera first began flights to Bhairahawa in June 2022, on the day the airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, but discontinued the service after completing 110 flights by Baisakh 2081 (April-May 2024).

In addition to Jazeera, other airlines have been utilizing Gautam Buddha International Airport. Nepal’s Himalaya Airlines operated 68 charter flights to Malaysia before returning to Kathmandu. Similarly, Nepal Airlines Corporation began weekly flights between Kathmandu and Malaysia with a touchdown in Bhairahawa from June 8. Thai Air Asia has also received approval to operate three weekly flights to Bhairahawa from Bangkok, starting October 27, having already been flying to Kathmandu since October 16.

To encourage more flights to Bhairahawa and Pokhara, the Nepalese government has announced full exemptions on landing, parking, and navigation fees for airlines operating at these airports. Additionally, the Nepal Tourism Board has decided to offer discounts on airport service charges, reducing fees by Rs 1,000 for foreign tourists and Rs 3,000 included in ticket prices. Furthermore, the 13% Value Added Tax (VAT) on tickets for flights to these airports will also be waived.

However, the full implementation of these discounts remains uncertain. Ravichan Singh, president of Jazeera’s General Sales Agent (GSA) in Nepal, stated that while the government’s discount plan could reduce ticket prices by at least Rs 10,000, official confirmation of the discounts has yet to be received.