Smoke and fog disrupt flights at PRIA, stranding passengers

KATHMANDU, March 20: Flights from the Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) were canceled due to reduced visibility caused by a smoke and fog cover.

On Wednesday morning, two flights operated by Buddha Air and one by Yeti Airlines departed from Pokhara to Kathmandu before the conditions worsened, as reported by the airport’s Information Officer Jashoda Regmi. "Three flights took off for Kathmandu this morning; after that, no other flights were able to operate," she stated.

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Regmi said that while three aircraft departed from Pokhara to Kathmandu in the morning, no flights arrived from Kathmandu to Pokhara. For safe operation, pilots must be able to see at least 3,800 meters ahead to fly and land at PRIA. The smoke and fog have obscured the runway from one end to the other, making it invisible.

PRIA is equipped with advanced technology for takeoff and landing. Regmi mentioned that although the 'instrument flight rule' (IFR) allows for technology-based flight operations, visual conditions requiring a minimum visibility of 3,800 meters must still be met. Under visual flight rules (VFR), pilots must have clear visibility of up to 5,000 meters to navigate.

The disruption has left passengers stranded, with PRIA facilitating an average of 125 daily flights at both the new and old airports in Pokhara. According to Regmi, 3,000 to 4,000 passengers utilize the airport daily. Air services to Kathmandu, Bharatpur, Bhairahawa, and Nepalgunj continue from the new airport, while flights to Mustang, along with helicopter and ultra-light flights, operate from the old airport.