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Tikapur,Nepal: Commercial flights have resumed at Tikapur Airport after a three-decade hiatus, with Tara Air conducting its first commercial flight on Sunday.
The airport, which had been inactive since 1993 (2050 B.S.) , saw test flights by Nepal Airlines and Tara Air on October 28 this year (2024) , paving the way for regular commercial operations.
Ganesh Bahadur Singh, Chief of Civil Aviation Office Dhangadhi, announced that the aviation authority aims to operate air services from all airports in the Sudurpaschim region. He confirmed that bi-directional flights were successfully conducted on the first day of operations.
According to Singh, Tikapur will now have two weekly flights, scheduled for Sundays and Thursdays.
The inaugural flight carried 14 passengers, including Tourism and Civil Aviation State Minister Arun Kumar Chaudhary. On the return flight, 15 passengers, including Tikapur Municipality Mayor Ram Lal Dagoura Tharu, traveled to Kathmandu.
Seventy-two-year-old Laxmi Devi Upadhyay, who frequently traveled from Tikapur to Dhangadhi and Kathmandu-Nepalgunj until 1988 (2045 B.S.) , was among the first passengers on the resumed service. Historically, the airport served routes connecting Tikapur to Safebagar (Achham), Jumla, Kathmandu, Dhangadhi, and Nepalgunj.
According to airport authorities, Tara Air will operate small aircraft on the Nepalgunj-Tikapur route, with Yeti Airlines providing onward connections from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu. The fare from Tikapur to Kathmandu is set at NPR 9,000. Under a special agreement, Tikapur Municipality will compensate for any shortfall if bookings fall below the minimum requirement of 15 seats.
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