Mustang, April 7: The number of Pokhara-Jomsom air flights has decreased by two-thirds after the national pride Beni-Jomsom-Korla road began to move smoothly. The Jomsom Airport of the Jomsom Civil Aviation Office, which is very busy during the tourist season, is not as busy as before. In the Himalayan district of Mustang, small twin-engine aircraft used to operate Pokhara-Jomsom air services only in the morning. But if you want to reach Jomsom Airport in the morning, there are no other people except a limited number of air passengers.
Before the national highway was opened, more than 300 tourists used to travel to Mustang daily by air from Pokhara to Jomsam. Now, that number has reduced to less than half. The reason for this is the Korala Road, which is being upgraded. More than two-thirds of the unpaved road from Beni in Myagdi to Muktinath in Mustang has been blacktopped.
Keshav Lamsal, head of the Jomsom Civil Aviation Office, said that the number of air passengers has decreased this year compared to previous years due to the blacktop of the road. “Our record shows that up to 18 flights were operated here before the Korla road was upgraded,” he said. “Now, some tourists who travel by air travel to Mustang via road.”
With the end of winter and the arrival of spring, this is the ideal time to visit Mustang. However, during this time, the number of tourists arriving from Pokhara to Mustang via air has decreased as they have come by road, said Sujan Lalchan, Jomsom Manager of Tara Airlines.
“Earlier, we had a hard time providing tickets to passengers. Due to the number of passengers who bought tickets for the Pokhara-Jomsom two-way flight, we had to tell Nepali tourists, locals, and employees that there were no tickets,” he said. “Now, if people do not bring tickets for their journey from Pokhara, we have to send the plane empty from here. In the last year, this problem has increased and flights have gradually decreased.”
Although Indian tourists from Pokhara usually take round-trip air tickets to visit Muktinath and return the next day, tourists from other countries often take one-way tickets and fly, according to Suman Thakali, Jomsom manager of Summit Airlines. “Earlier, locals and employees, as well as passengers, would try to travel by air from here,” he said. “Now, since the road is good, most passengers from here travel by road to Pokhara.”
Another reason for the decline in Pokhara-Jomsom flights is the challenge to safe air travel. There have been about half a dozen air accidents on the Pokhara-Jomsom air route in recent times. It has been analyzed that the decline in air flights has occurred after the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal started new rules and increased surveillance to reduce the increasing air risks. In this way, although the travel agencies concerned book tickets for (Pokhara-Jomsom) air travel, when the flight is canceled, they immediately send passengers to Mustang by road, said Manager Thakali. Even though travel companies book air tickets, they do not wait for the plane like before because traveling by road saves half the air ticket fare, he said.
He said that booking a flight ticket and sending it in a vehicle in this way will bring financial benefits to the travel company. Although the Beni-Jomsom-Korala road of national pride has become easier in recent times, it has been found that most tourists come to Mustang via road. The number of tourists traveling by road has increased due to the ease of road travel, cheap prices, and the availability of vehicles at the right time.
Local citizens of Mustang, employees, security personnel, laborers and ordinary people also travel by road. Currently, there are only 5-6 daily Pokhara-Jomsom flights, according to the Jomsom Civil Aviation Office. 80 percent of the travelers are Indians and 20 percent are foreign tourists from other countries. Before the implementation of the Beni-Jomsom road project of national pride under construction, there were up to 18 daily flights (Pokhara-Jomsom) during favorable weather. Small aircraft used to have difficulty transporting passengers at favorable times. Only foreign tourists from India and third countries could get tickets. Nepali domestic tourists found it very difficult to get Pokhara-Jomsom air tickets.
Due to the lack of uniformity in air ticket prices, Nepali tourists as well as locals of Mustang had to endure a lot of hardship while traveling by air. Since air tickets for foreign tourists cost twice to three times more than domestic air passengers, the private airline companies concerned were reluctant to provide air tickets to domestic passengers.
They would only provide air tickets in case of an accident or serious illness, on the recommendation of a health post or hospital. The Pokhara-Jomsom air travel used to be a struggle for passengers. However, that time has completely changed now.
