Irregular flights trouble Humla passengers

Surkhet, April 1. Locals of Humla – the only district not geographically connected with national road network – have been frequently bearing the brunt of irregular flight services.

This time too, dozens of passengers from Humla have to be stranded at Surkhet airport for not getting air tickets.

Chhabi Thapa, an air passenger, voiced his complaint that over 140 people from Humla who descended Surkhet for health checkups and other works could not return home for over a week due to irregular air services.

“Ordinary people even do not get entrance to the airport”, Thapa said, adding, Maneuvering of a handful higher class people is visible in the terminal hall”.

Likewise, Kendra Raj Shahi, another passenger, expressed his grief that ordinary people do not get ticket in the airport. He complained that brokers are only permitted to go inside the airport. “The airlines even do not show service gesture to the general public. They only see the things from profit perspective”, he added.

Kal Bahadur Lama, Chair of Humli Service Society, said he has been mounting pressure on the airlines operators to put ordinarily passengers in the centre while providing services.
“Passengers have been stranded for over one and a half months for not getting tickets”, he said, adding, “We have urged the management of Tara, Sita and Summit airlines to operate flights once a week to meet growing flow of passengers”.

People’s movement has become a tough job as all the goods are also being transported to Humla via air and there is no other alternative way to air service , Lama noted.