India urged to let in new air-entry routes

Kathmandu:Nepal government has reiterated its  stance and vehemently urged India to provide additional air-entry routes near boarder flight operation of the Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa.

Nepal’s firm stance was disclosed at the high level meeting held with India’s visiting Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra to Nepal.

Foreign Minister Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal and Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal separately raised the issues in their respective meetings with the Indian counterpart.

This issue has been repeatedly raised at the bilateral meetings held between Indian and Nepalese authorities in the past months too.

However, the Indian side has been indifferent to this issue, whereby causing inconvenience to the flights landing and taking off from the Bhairaha airport.

Indian government as part of maintaining its bilateral relations with neighboring country like Nepal with such a close cultural proximity should not hesitate to pave the way for air route in this connection.

Nepali authorities are also concerned that the newly inaugurated Pokhara Regional International Airport might also encounter the same ill-fate like Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairaha due to India’s dilly dallying stance on permitting air route a the border, citing security reasons.