Chitwan, June 20: Shree Airlines has completed Kathmandu-Bharatpur test flight today. The flight crew was welcomed after landing at Bharatpur airport.
A 80-passenger aircraft Dash 8 Q 400 of Shree Airlines successfully landed at the newly expanded and upgraded airport. Dignitaries including Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, Civil Aviation Minister Hit Bahadur Tamang, Mayor of Bharatpur Metropolitan Municipality Renu Dahal and others were present at the airport.
According to officials at Shree Airlines, the aircraft have a capacity to carry 80 passengers. The airlines will begin regular commercial flights after the permission from Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). Chair of the airlines, Mr Sudhir Mittal has informed that the airfare may slightly lower than the current fare. At present only Buddha Air is flying daily from Bharatpur to Kathmandu and Pokhara. The one-way fare is above four thousand seven hundred rupees.
The runway of this airport is only 1,200 meters long. Mittal informed that because the runway is short, a few less passengers can be flown than the capacity. He estimates that 55 people can fly from Bharatpur to Kathmandu and 70 people can fly from Kathmandu.
