Suketar-Biratnagar test flight

BIRATNAGAR, Dec 03: After 14 years, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has conducted a test flight from Taplejung's Suketar Airport to Biratnagar Airport.

According to Lokendra Limbu, Taplejung station in-charge of NAC, on Thursday, the TwinOtter aircraft of NAC made a test flight between Taplejung and Biratnagar. Initially, the aircraft that came to Taplejung from Kathmandu returned to Kathmandu with passengers. After that, the plane that came from Kathmandu to Taplejung as a second flight, after landing at Suketar Airport, reached Biratnagar Airport and again came to Taplejung Airport and flew to Kathmandu with passengers. According to station in-charge Limbu, since 2065, NAC flights had not flown between Biratnagar-Taplejung-Biratnagar.

Before 2065 BS., Nepal Airlines was flying Biratnagar-Taplejung-Biratnagar regularly. With the regular flight of Biratnagar-Taplejung-Biratnagar stopped, Kathmandu-Taplejung-Kathmandu flight is being conducted. Customers have been demanding at least two weekly flights from Suketar to Biratnagar Airport, the capital of Province 1. But the flight is not taking place. Even though there is a demand from the customers for regular flights from Biratnagar-Taplejung-Biratnagar even for pilgrims who come to visit Pathibhara temple by air route from Eastern Nepal, there is a problem due to lack of regular flights on this route.