Jazeera to conduct three flights a week to Kuwait from GBIA

Kathmandu, May 18

Kuwait’s leading airline, Jazeera Airways, has announced the launch of a new service to newly built Gautam Buddha International Airport in Nepal, connecting the large community of Nepali expatriates living in the Middle East and Europe to the south-west area of the country.

The airline that is expanding its services in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, expressed its commitment to conducting regular commercial flights to and from the GBIA.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the company on Wednesday in the capital, vice president of Jazeera Ravindran Bharathan said that the newly launched service makes it a lot easier for Nepalis and tourists to get into the Terai area of Nepal rather than going through an indirect route which could take more than a day’s traveling.

"The new service to the GBIA in Bhairahawa is a direct service to the gateway of Lumbini - the birthplace of Gautam Buddha," he said.

This is the second service operated by Jazeera Airways to Nepal which responds to the demand for travel to the Terai and mid hills of western Nepal. Flights to the GBIA had commenced on May 15, with the inauguration of the aviation infrastructure.

Likewise, Rabi Chandra Singh, chairman of Society International Travel Services, the GSA of the airlines, said that after 74 years of international flights based only in the Kathmandu, this service is going to make a huge difference in the western part of Nepal.

This newly opened international flight service will help boost tourism of Bhairahawa which is one of the potential sectors for economic development in Nepal, he said.

However, the lack of infrastructure and facilities to issue labour permit from Butwal has affected the migrant workers going abroad. "We are rerouting the passengers from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa which incurs additional cost of Rs. 75,000 a time," said Singh.

He maintained that rerouting could not be extended for more than a week. "This is the prestige of the country and opportunity for Bhairahawa and the region therefore the government and private sector must put their efforts to exploit this opportunity," he said.

As per the schedule published by the company, the flight services between Kuwait and Bhairahawa will be held three times – it will be conducted from Kuwait on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday every week, and from Bhairahawa on Wednesday, Friday and Monday every week.

The flight time from Kuwait is 18:30 local time and from Bhairahawa is 2:30 AM local time.

According to the company, Jazeera Airways flies to over 50 destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa and Europe comprising high-demand business, leisure and weekend destinations.

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 19 May 2022.