On Saturday afternoon, as storm clouds built up over Central Nepal, three international flights performed Go-arounds at Kathmandu airport.
A Qatar Airways Airbus A330 from Doha, a Boeing 737 Max of FlyDubai and an Indigo Airbus 320 from Delhi. All three reported tail wind and wind shear at the threshold of runway 02.
Nepal’s media characterised these as ‘near-misses’ – as if the planes were almost having a mishap. Actually, a Go-around is very common at airports around the world and shows that the pilots take safety seriously and abort a landing if the approach is not stabilised.
A Go-around is when an aircraft on final approach suddenly climbs again on full power instead of landing and circles around for another attempt. This is a standard safety procedure in aviation, even though it may alarm some passengers. Go-arounds are also called ‘missed approach’ or ‘overshoots’.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) notes that go-arounds are an important part of flight safety, allowing pilots to avoid potential hazards on the runway, the surrounding airspace, or if there is high wind or poor visibility.
Globally, 3% of all landings by commercial aircraft are Go-arounds, showing how they are common and preventive measures rather than emergency responses.
Pilots usually initiate a Go-around if the approach is unstable due to wind or turbulence. A stable approach means maintaining the correct speed, altitude, and descent rate for a landing. If these factors are not optimal, pilots may opt to go around as a precaution.
Sometimes pilots decide to go around if there is a runway obstruction, which can be another aircraft, vehicle, debris or bird activity on the runway. But the most common reason for planes to go around is weather-related: sudden changes in weather, such as strong crosswinds, heavy rain, or poor visibility.
Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport is surrounded by high terrain that requires a steeper than usual approach for landing. This time of year, there are high winds especially in the afternoons with cloud-build up and turbulence.
Heavy aircraft like the Airbus 330 or Boeing 777 or 787 that operate in Kathmandu cannot land when the tailwind is more than 12knots, and this has been the case most afternoons in the past month. However, a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 performed the first ever satellite GPS-based RNP approach to runway 20 from the north earlier this month.
During rush hour at Kathmandu airport, Air Traffic Controllers are under pressure to handle a large volume of arrivals and departures. Earlier this year the airport handled over 600 international and domestic flights in one day, and because the airport is closed for 8 hours a day due to runway grading work there are delays.
ATC sometimes instructs pilots to go around due to congestion or delays in clearing the runway from a previous landing. However, with the completion of the parallel congestion is expected to reduce after 1 April when the airport will be opened again for 20 hours a day.
Go-arounds can also happen if the pilots detect a last-minute technical issue, such as an indicator light malfunction or landing gear irregularity. They will go around and troubleshoot before another approach.
Nepal’s unique topography makes flying challenging, especially in high-altitude airports. Pilots operating in Nepal frequently undergo specialised simulator training for terrain-based approaches and learn to execute go-arounds safely in difficult conditions.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has continuously worked to improve navigational aids and approach procedures to enhance safety. <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/">Buddha Air</a>, Nepal’s leading domestic airline, for example ensures that all its pilots are well-trained in go-around procedures.
As aviation technology continues to advance, automated systems assist pilots in making more precise go-around decisions, further ensuring safe landings. Whether due to weather, air traffic, or technical reasons, they are always executed with the passengers’ best interests in mind.

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Why do planes ‘Go-around’?

Nepalis are giving up on the country and flying out of Tribhuvan International Airport by the thousands every day. One recent morning, Birendra Basnet was on seat 17A of an ATR-72 flight to Biratnagar.&nbsp; In these cynical times, Basnet is a shining example that individual persistence, ingenuity and vision can contribute to the nation’s economic growth. He employs 1,500.&nbsp; He was flying on <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14200">Buddha Air</a>, which he established 26 years ago, and has today grown to become Nepal’s biggest airline. The carrier is now cruising on autopilot, leaving Birendra Basnet time to focus on his other passion: agriculture.&nbsp; It is not a small backyard garden that Basnet is interested in, but large-scale mechanised agro-industry. His goal is to dramatically raise farm productivity and to serve as a model for the rest of Nepali agricultural enterprise.&nbsp; Basnet's Arju Rice Mill, in Morang, buys rice from local farms -- including his own -- to process and produce 80,000 tonnes of rice a year.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032509030_c08f0daa3cd2166fae64e7eeb3e983b9199e146beff23458e86330ff21a86b45.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024032509030_c08f0daa3cd2166fae64e7eeb3e983b9199e146beff23458e86330ff21a86b45" data-rendition-name="original" width="1912" height="971" loading="lazy" alt="Arzoo Rice Mill"> <figcaption>Basnet's Arju Rice Mill in Morang.</figcaption> </figure>  “There are big obstacles to doing business in Nepal, but that is a given,” Basnet explains, gesturing animatedly. “Everyone faces the same challenges, the question is what are you doing to get past those hurdles?”&nbsp; Indeed, after his success in the airline business, Birendra Basnet feels he can transform agriculture to make Nepal self-sufficient in rice again. Every year, Nepalis consume 140kg of rice per capita.&nbsp; Basnet has so far ploughed Rs500 million of his money into his agriculture enterprise, and hopes Arju will go into profit starting next year. Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/productivity-empowerment-and%20job-with-mechanization-and-cooperative-in-agriculture,2378">"Nepal’s quiet green revolution"</a>, Sonia Awale “I could have done anything with that money, why did I take the risk to invest in agriculture?” Basnet asks, rhetorically. “To show that it works. Our community enterprise model buys directly from farmers and not from middlemen. This has helped subsistence farmers of the eastern Tarai make a profit for the first time. Every rural municipality in Nepal could adopt this formula.” &nbsp; Eighty percent of Nepalis depend on farming, and if they could get fair prices for their produce it would help them out of poverty. Basnet asserts that Nepal has to move away from its current crony-capitalism, with its winner-takes-all system. What is ideal is a culture where social entrepreneurs look not at a bigger slice of the pie for themselves, but to make the pie bigger.&nbsp; Basnet now wants to expand the community enterprise model to other agricultural products like oranges from Bhojpur, apples from Jumla, and ginger from Salyan. He also envisions developing a network of cold storage centres, solar powered, that preserve products so farmers are not forced to sell when prices are low. While Basnet is frustrated with the bureaucratic hurdles that put off entrepreneurs wanting to take a chance in Nepal, he says there are many little-known success stories of those who have persevered and realised their dreams.&nbsp; “The reason I am optimistic about Nepal is that public outrage will find outlets in alternative politics and spawn leaders who are passionate about genuine change and action, instead of just talking,” he says. “For that, people like us have to be more involved.” Meanwhile, back at Buddha Air, Basnet has decided to give up his plans to expand to remote areas through short takeoff and landing (STOL) fields. The carrier is also retiring two ATR-42s models from its fleet, replacing them with the newer ATR-72 600s.&nbsp; Last week, Buddha Air got top credit ratings from the credit agency ICRA Nepal for its strategy of ‘controlled business performance’ rather than risky expansion post-Covid. Buddha has 67% of the domestic market share, up from 56% last year, and has benefited from the poor state of inter-city highways in Nepal.&nbsp; The airline’s provisional revenue was Rs3.83 billion last year, flying 7.1 million passengers within Nepal, &nbsp;on 150 daily flights.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer">"Pokhara will be a game changer"</a>

Flying and farming

Last week, Nepal’s digital media highlighted the news that a Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu to Nepalganj ended up landing in Dhangadi. Many readers did a double-take because they were misled by a sensational title which suggested that somehow the crew had got the destination wrong. Not that such mistakes have not happened in the past, but this was a simple diversion due to poor visibility at Nepalganj. Many Nepali media outlets lack aviation literacy, mistaking aircraft models, getting technical details wrong, or using incorrect aviation terminology, for example calling a normal ‘go around’ procedure an ‘overshoot’ which is actually a runway excursion by an aircraft.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231210071220_90d298964e8c0e99803549a499b1f8f6a38718ed7d34be536e8bf141a2f89fc2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20231210071220_90d298964e8c0e99803549a499b1f8f6a38718ed7d34be536e8bf141a2f89fc2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="airline visibility 2"> </figure>  The Kathmandu-Nepalganj flight U4451 was operated by one of Buddha’s ATR-72s and was approaching Nepalganj after a 40 minute flight from Kathmandu when the runway visibility dropped to below minima. The flight crew then decided to land at the alternate airport, Dhangadi which had better visibility and was only 20 minutes away. A Shree Airlines CRJ700 from Kathmandu to Nepalganj also diverted to Dhangadi for the same reason. Both aircraft returned and landed in Nepalganj after the visibility improved there after a few hours. As winter sets in, flights are sometimes cancelled due to poor visibility, but more common are delays due weather conditions. This also leads to traffic congestion at Kathmandu airport, as domestic and international flights have to make instrument approaches, thus leading to mounting delays in arrivals and departures throughout the day. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/onset-of-winter-leads-to-flight-delays">Onset of winter leads to flight delays</a>, Nepali Times In winter, visibility below minimum at airports is caused by temperature inversion that traps polluted air at ground level. Inversion is especially pronounced in the mornings in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Tarai airports. In fact, at the peak of winter, the entire Indo-Gangetic plains including the Tarai is blanketed by thick fog that does not lift for days. “Passengers are understandably inconvenienced for having to wait for hours at the airport because of<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/air-jam/" target="_blank"> the congestion</a> caused by bad weather, but the airlines have to stick to safety protocols and it is beyond their control,” explains Buddha Air’s Dipendra Karna. It is when Kathmandu has to operate under instrument flying rules (IFR) when visibility falls below 2km that the delays have a domino effect throughout the day. Incoming flights have to hold for an hour or more, and this means outbound flights are also delayed. Under IFR procedures, incoming flights to Kathmandu can only land from the south on the airport’s only runway, and since the taxiway does not extend till the threshold of the 02 end of the runway, incoming planes have to be spaced up to 7 minutes apart. International flights sometimes have to divert to alternate airports like Delhi or Kolkata because Bhairawa and Pokhara airports is not yet open for diversions. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/business/domestic-aviation-flies-into-headwind">Domestic aviation flies into headwind</a>, Nepali Times  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20231211041248_588ea32381eae6b1cbce819d333c8394c08e0eca724c513fad2beb68b03d2264.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20231211041248_588ea32381eae6b1cbce819d333c8394c08e0eca724c513fad2beb68b03d2264" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="900" loading="lazy" alt="Buddha Air NT"> <figcaption>Buddha Air has a weather map of Nepal at Kathmandu domestic airport departure lounge with live web cam videos of main airports in the country showing visibility. </figcaption> </figure>  Biratnagar, Bhairawa and Nepalganj also face cancellations and delays in winter because of the north Indian fog mixed with smog. Sometimes flights from Kathmandu to Nepalganj will not be able to fly even if it is clear at the destination because visibility at the alternate airport is below minima. “Biratnagar may be open, but if Janakpur or Rajbiraj are closed due to visibility, the flight cannot take off from Kathmandu,” says Karna. Domestic flights on trunk routes now have a better chance of flying on time if it is a night flight.&nbsp; Weather-related delays are unavoidable because safety comes first, but operations could be improved with better navigational aids like Instrument Landing System (ILS) or RNAV satellite-based approach guidance.

Air passengers at mercy of winter delays

With increased mobility and many Nepali parents working overseas, there has been a spurt in unaccompanied minors as passengers on domestic flights.
Most international airlines have special protocols to guide children travelling alone to their destinations, and in Nepal <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/" target="_blank">Buddha Air</a> has announced similar provisions. The carrier provides the service to children from 5 to 12, and children below five must be accompanied by parents or an adult guardian.
It can be both exciting and intimidating for children flying alone, on their way to boarding school or to join relatives in the city. This anxiety is shared by their parents and guardians as well.&nbsp;
Travelling alone, however, can also be an enriching experience for children who learn to develop independence and confidence as well as broaden their exposure. &nbsp;
Buddha Air is Nepal’s largest domestic carrier, and has <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/special-assistance/um-below-12-years" target="_blank">three categories for unaccompanied minors:</a>
Children under 5 are not permitted to travel alone and they must be accompanied by a trusted adult or at least one parent. An accompanying adult must be of 18 years or older.&nbsp;
Children between 5-12 must be accompanied by a passenger who is of 18 years or older. However, if they are traveling alone, prior information must be provided to the airline and the procedures for unaccompanied minor travel must be fulfilled.&nbsp;
From 12 years and above the child is allowed to travel alone, but if they require assistance guardians will have to follow the same procedure as for unaccompanied minors. &nbsp;
Prior information must be provided at the time of booking that unaccompanied minor service is required. A child younger than 12 years of age will be considered an unaccompanied minor even if he or she is accompanied by a passenger who is 13 to 18 years of age.
Buddha Air’s procedures only apply to domestic flights, and the carrier will not handle the transfer of an unaccompanied minor from the domestic terminal to the international terminal in Kathmandu for connecting flights. &nbsp;
The parent or guardian is required to fill in three copies of the “Unaccompanied Minor Form”. If the minor is travelling to two destinations, two sets of forms need to be filled in.&nbsp;
On the aircraft, minors will not be allocated seats next to emergency exits. The child will be seated next to an adult who is 18 years or older. An unaccompanied minor is usually pre-boarded if possible and handed over to cabin crew who signs and returns a copy of the form.&nbsp;
Before disembarking, the crew hands over the minor along with the necessary travel documents to ground staff, who signs another copy of the form.&nbsp;
In case of diversion due to weather or other issues, a female staff of Buddha Air will stay with the unaccompanied minor in the hotel until the departure. Parents or guardians are required to be duly informed.&nbsp;
At the destination, a customer service agent hands over the child to the guardian or parent after thorough verification with photo ID. They will then sign the final copy of the form.&nbsp;
Airlines advise parents and guardians to brief minors before flights with basic tips on security check, on board behaviour, and staying in touch. Parents are also required to keep all identification and contact information in the person of the unaccompanied minor. &nbsp;

Making flying child’s play

There has been a revision of safety protocols for flying in the monsoon in Nepal after the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/chopper-hits-mountain-near-everest" target="_blank">latest crash of a helicopter</a> near Mt Everest on 11 July. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) grounded all helicopter flights after the crash that killed five Mexican passengers and the Nepali pilot, but some rescue flights have resumed during the lean tourist season. While <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/keeps-happening" target="_blank">CAAN is trying to more strictly implement</a> its rule about only flying under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in flights to and from airfields in the mountains without navigational aids, private airlines have been taking their own measures. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/60-years-of-living-dangerously" target="_blank">Data scraped by Nepali Times</a> from multiple sources show that more than 90% of fatalities in crashes in the past 60 years in Nepal have happened when planes fly into mountains hidden by clouds. And nearly all of what are technically known as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/pokhara-jomsom-flight-with-22-missing" target="_blank">Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)</a> incidents have occurred in the three monsoon months of July, August and September – and most of them have happened on approach or after takeoff. Interestingly, almost all of these accidents have happened in flights on mountain routes, very few have been due to mechanical problems and none have occurred in the Tarai in the past six decades. This is why CAAN and private operators have been trying to strictly enforce VFR protocols that absolutely forbids pilots from flying into clouds even briefly while flying in mountain airfields not equipped with navaids. “High terrain and unpredictable mountain weather make flying in the Himalaya the most challenging in the world,” admits Manoj KC, a 22-year veteran of Buddha Air with more than 17,000 flight hours. “However, the risk can be minimised by strictly following rules and adhering to protocols.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230724130752_3412cad34c25992c6aea66b05a2e8890abe208ae9cd35669da7f025cf3e12049.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230724130752_3412cad34c25992c6aea66b05a2e8890abe208ae9cd35669da7f025cf3e12049" data-rendition-name="original" width="1962" height="1264" loading="lazy" alt="Manjo KC"> </figure>  Buddha Air is Nepal’s largest domestic airline with 16 ATR-72 and -42 aircraft, and besides international and CAAN safety regulations it also has in place its own extra steps to ensure that flight crew are prepared for monsoon flying conditions. Nepal’s pre-monsoon in April-May-June has rapidly developing buildups with strong updrafts, thunderstorms, hail and high winds. In the monsoon months of July-August-September clouds and heavy rain can reduce visibility as well as make runways slippery or water-logged. Winter brings fog at airports in the Tarai and in mountain valleys as well as ice and snow in the higher reaches. However, it is in the monsoon that more attention is needed. Buddha Air, for instance, has a monsoon briefing for flight crew before the start of the rainy season with safety reminders and long term forecasts. Buddha air also has a flight dispatch centre at the domestic airport where a Japanese software gives critical go, no-go information about various airports in real time. “The system helps us not just track our fleet, but also up to date weather conditions at airports,” explains Buddha Air’s flight dispatcher Umesh Khadka. CAAN also inspects aircraft tyres more frequently during the monsoon so their treads are intact to prevent skidding on wet runways, and wipers are also a part of the Minimum Equipment List (MEL). Buddha Air designs its own procedures when starting operations to new airports like Surkhet and Tumlingtar, taking into account all contingencies, including poor visibility during the monsoon. For Tumlingtar, for example, its engineers did a drone survey of the runway, plotted obstruction and terrain before verifying performance of ATR-72s on simulators even before the first proving flight. “We only started flying to Tumlingtar after all the procedure turns and decision points were double checked,” explains Manoj KC who flies ATR-72s. &nbsp;Only in the past month, three Tumlingtar flights have diverted back to Kathmandu because of sub-optimal visibility. Buddha Air is now lobbying to have new satellite based Area Navigation (RNAV) for more precise navigation in Surkhet and Tumlingtar, as well as Pokhara which has an Instrument Landing System (ILS). CAAN switched its radar coverage to Bhatte Danda, which covers more of the country but the new system does not plot weather systems like the older radar. This means air traffic controllers now cannot give planes waiting to take off more precise information about the location of storm cells. Pilots have to rely on the plane’s own radar which can track weather only after takeoff. In some cases, airline crew are pressured by passengers to fly because they are in a hurry to reach their destinations. This is why Buddha Air has installed at its departure terminals a Flightradar 24 map showing the live position of its flights, as well as webcam images of destination airports. The carrier says this has helped passengers better understand why there can be delays or even cancellations due to bad weather. Because many of the mishaps in the past have also happened due to pilots not knowing what en route weather is like, CAAN has installed live webcams on critical high passes like Ghorepani on the Pokhara-Jomsom route, and Lamjura on the Lukla-Kathmandu route. More are planned. Says Buddha’s Manoj KC: “We strictly follow safety procedures so that even airline management, government officials or passengers cannot pressure us to fly when weather parameters enroute or at departure and destination airports are no-go.”&nbsp;

Making monsoon flying safer in Nepal

As a part of its effort to address safety concerns and to adhere to international norms, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) now requires domestic airlines operating planes with a maximum takeoff weight (TOW) above 20 tonnes to adopt the Flight Data Analysis Program (FDAP). Safety in aviation is determined by many factors such as technology, crew training, regulatory frameworks, monitoring of procedures, and management. This is especially important in Nepal, where flying is already challenging due to the rugged Himalayan terrain, extreme and unpredicatable weather and inadequate navaid at airports. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines safety as a state in which risk associated with aviation activities are maintained at or below acceptable level through continuous process of hazard identification and risk management. Safety therefore depends directly on proactive risk management before they cause a significant incident. And this is where Flight Data Analysis Program (FDAP) comes into play since it is a systematic process to monitor and analyse data from an aircraft's flight data recorder (FDR) and or Quick Access Recorder (QAR). This information can then be used to identify potential safety hazards, deviations and operating context to improve overall flight safety. ICAO mandates air operators with aircrafts that carry a maximum of 27 tonnes take-off weight to implement FDAP as a part of their Safety Management System (SMS).  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230605110640_a69f4465b57004ee0220ea15c7538638e514377f2559c1a5ad45f6b3cad06d79.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20230605110640_a69f4465b57004ee0220ea15c7538638e514377f2559c1a5ad45f6b3cad06d79" data-rendition-name="original" width="1562" height="505" loading="lazy" alt="Buddha Air"></figure>  Besides FDAP, Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) and Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) is a critical aspect of Flight Safety. Nepal’s biggest domestic airline, <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/">Buddha Air</a>, with a fleet of 16 ATRs became the first domestic carrier to implement FDAP voluntarily in 2014 even though some of its aircraft at time were below the weight threshold. Its new ATR-72 have a maximum TOW of 22,000 tonnes. This allows the carrier to monitor and analyse flight data of every flight on a daily basis, allowing technical crew to identify potential safety hazards such as operational deviations or aircraft health, which would otherwise go unnoticed, and take corrective actions. <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/safety">Buddha Air’s FDAP</a> is based on cutting edge technology designed by the French company Safran and is capable of capturing a vast amount of data and analysing it in real-time, allowing engineers at Buddha Air to identify potential safety hazards quickly. For ATRs the system records 108 parameters and 64 events for each daily flight from engine startup to engine shutdown. Safran’s FDAP is user-friendly, with an intuitive interface that allows the flight crew to easily access and analyze data and self-visualise their flights. Deviations observed along with confidential crew feedback are then analysed to enhance safety by tracking trends and identify areas of improvement with data-driven evidence. This also reduces training costs and providing pilots and other crew with feedback on their performance. FDAP also help identify fuel-saving opportunities, reduce maintenance costs, optimise routes, and optimise maintenance schedules to reduce downtime.

Nepal’s domestic carrier adopts FDAP to enhance safety

High fuel costs and concerns about air safety have dampened growth of Nepal’s domestic aviation sector despite passenger demand remaining high. Prominent media coverage of the crash of Yeti691 in Pokhara on 15 January led to massive cancellations just as bookings were being firmed up for the spring trekking season. For one month, passenger volume dropped sharply, but is now picking up again.&nbsp; Pokhara still wears a deserted look, and tourist footfalls have fallen along popular trails in Manang and Annapurna. Even so, Nepal’s biggest domestic airline <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/">Buddha Air</a> is making Pokhara’s newly opened international airport its new hub for cross-sector flights.&nbsp; From 9 March it is basing five planes in its all-ATR fleet of 14 aircraft in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/">Pokhara</a> for daily early morning departures to Bhadrapur, Bharatpur, Simara, Bhairawa, Nepalganj and Kathmandu. Pokhara airport will also be opened for night flights this week. The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepals-airlines-fly-high-despite-turbulence/">robust passenger demand</a> is due to the poor condition of the main highways to Pokhara from Kathmandu and Bhairawa which makes air travel attractive despite high fares. Another contributing factor is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/buddha-air-spurt-in-domestic-flights/">domestic tourism</a>, as more and more young Nepalis discover their own country. “Pokhara is a game-changer,” says Buddha Air’s Managing Director Birendra Bahadur Basnet. “We are excited about Pokhara becoming our secondary hub.” Basnet’s optimism comes despite considerable headwinds from high price of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) which is now Rs170/l, more expensive cost of operations because of the strong dollar vis-a-vis the Nepali rupee, as well as difficulties in sourcing aircraft components because of continued global supply chain constraints.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230308060352_2ef1b95693b96d37b796c61291f360abd7d6e8e35b7fafaeadd754ddab2f578b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20230308060352_2ef1b95693b96d37b796c61291f360abd7d6e8e35b7fafaeadd754ddab2f578b" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="640" loading="lazy" alt="Birendra Basnet"> </figure>  Added to this is air traffic congestion at Kathmandu airport, which forces planes to burn fuel on extended holding queues for landing. Buddha Air's business plan appears to focus on diversifying its operations base, pioneering new domestic inter-city routes and expanding connections to north Indian cities beyond its current thrice-weekly Kathmandu-Varanasi flights.&nbsp; The new Bhadrapur-Pokhara route, for example, hopes to tap Indian tourists from Sikkim, Darjeeling and Assam, while allowing Nepalis to fly to Indian destinations via Bagdogra bypassing Kathmandu. In anticipation of increased demand on the new routes, Buddha Air is adding two ATR-72-500s, bringing its total fleet strength to 16. “We do not have to look too far for tourists in Nepal, there is the huge Indian market right next door, we just have to make flight connections more convenient,” says Basnet. Buddha Air has been lobbying to start flights from Pokhara directly to Varanasi, Lucknow and Delhi, but the Indian authorities have raised strategic objections to Pokhara Airport being built built by the Chinese under the Belt Road Initiative (BRI) — similar to India refusing to buying electricity from hydropower plants built by Chinese contractors.&nbsp; India has also refused to allow inbound flights to Kathmandu, Pokhara and Bhairawa via routes B345 from the south and L626 from the west. Both routes are open only for outbound international flights. This means longer flight time and fares from Bhairawa and Pokhara to Indian airports.&nbsp; Even so, Basnet says the Indian side is positive about connecting Janakpur to Ayodhya, and Nepalganj to Delhi. Existing flights from Pokhara to border cities in Nepal will increase Indian pilgrim and tourist traffic, as well as give access to cheaper domestic flights within India for Nepalis via Bagdogra, Darbhanga, Faizabad or Gorakhpur. Buddha has been trying to counter the negative international publicity following the &nbsp;Pokhara crash by highlighting <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/taking-air-safety-seriously-in-nepal/">air safety</a> and focusing on crew training and <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/safety">strict safety protocols</a>. It is the only domestic airline with its own fully-equipped maintenance hangar with FSTD simulators to train and check its 141 pilots. Basnet told Nepali Times, “We are concentrated minutely on safety in all departments, specially flight operations, maintenance and ground handling department.”

Domestic aviation flies into headwind

<img width="1110" height="735" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723bff9c7e80680e0c95f3jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Nepal’s domestic aviation has not just recovered from the pandemic, but has overtaken pre-Covid numbers in terms of total passengers carried as well as operating revenue for most carriers.But they are flying through turbulence as <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/airlines-hit-hardest-by-nepals-fuel-hike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high fuel price</a>s due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have suppressed profitability for the three main domestic carriers -- Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, and Shree.“Domestic aviation in Nepal was just beginning to rebound to pre Covid-19 levels, but recent geopolitical crises have had multiplier effects on fuel prices, the key driver of inflation,” says Dipendra Karna of Buddha Air.A strong dollar, and consecutive second quarter losses this year in US stock exchange have raised fears of a recession. Interest rates on borrowings are high as Europe battles inflation, and the GBP and Euro are both at par with the USD. This global effect is already sending aftershocks in Asian economies and affecting tourism.“Geopolitical instability remains the top cited threat to global economy and inflation has overtaken volatile energy prices to become second most cited concern,” Karna adds.Even so, Nepal’s domestic airlines have seen a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/post-covid-rebound-for-nepals-airlines/">15% growth in traffic</a> with nearly 4 million passengers on routes in fiscal year 2021-22, even as Nepal’s limited airport infrastructure struggled to cope.  <img width="1038" height="516" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723c029c7e80680e0c95f4jpeg.jpg" alt="">A recent report by the credit ratings agency ICRA Nepal of domestic operators gives Buddha Air an A- score for long-term credit, which means the company is considered to be servicing its financial obligations in a timely manner, and has low credit risk. Yeti and Shree have scored B+, meaning they are at higher risk of default. The airlines’ standings for short-term credit ratings gives Buddha an A2+, and Yeti and Shree at A4.Indeed, key financial indicators show that all three airlines are doing as well as, if not better, than pre-Covid years. Buddha Air’s operating income was Rs6.8 billion in 2018-19, dropped to Rs4.9 billion in 2019-2020, and further to only Rs3.3 billion last year.In 2021-22, operating income has rebounded to Rs7.7 billion. The OPBIDTA operating margin for Buddha Air was also a healthy 14%, although it is down from the peak of 31.8% in 2017-18 when fuel prices are lower.Buddha Air is marking 25 years of operation this week. It started operations on 11 October 1997 with a Raytheon 1900D flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Today, it is the biggest airline in Nepal with 16 aircraft. This Dasain saw record numbers of passengers – the unseasonal rains affected flights, but there was a higher demand for tickets because landslides blocked many highways during the holidays. Buddha Air, set a record of flying 8,835 passengers on a single day on 8 October.Yeti Airlines has also added another aircraft bought from Virgin Australia to its fleet, bringing the total to five ATR-500s. But the carrier is facing pressure from maturing debt repayment schedules for which the strong USD has not helped. The high interest rate on borrowings from Nepali banks has made the situation more precarious.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/sky-high-fuel-price-hits-nepals-tourism-airlines/">Sky high fuel price hits Nepal’s tourism, airlines</a>, Nepali Times <figure><img width="624" height="321" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723c049c7e80680e0c95f5jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Operating Income in NPR Millions</figcaption></figure>Buddha Air has the best total debt/tangible net worth ratio among domestic airlines, although its ratio increased in 2019-20. Yeti has negative ratio in the last two consecutive years, and Shree Airlines ratio is not satisfactory either. Buddha Air also has the best ratio for total outside liabilities.Buddha Air has the best debt/OPBDITA ratio (2.21 in 2021-22) among the three operators with best financial capability on debt repayment. Buddha Air cleared all its IFC World Bank loans two years ago.Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/airlines-hit-hardest-by-nepals-fuel-hike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Airlines hit hardest by Nepal's fuel hike</a>, Nepali Times

Nepal’s airlines fly high despite turbulence

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161156/636d1f6e9c7e80680e0af464jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480"/>Buddha Air has increased the frequency of its flights including night flights due to increased domestic demand. Pokhara now has the most number of flights at 11 per day followed by Bharatpur and Bhairahawa at 10 each and Biratnagar and Simara have 9 and eight each respectively. Poor highway conditions, a post-lockdown economic revival and affordable fares have contributed to increased demand. Buddha has the largest domestic fleet with 15 aircraft.

Buddha Air night flights

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18339c7e80680e0ac7b0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2399" height="1525"/>Nepal’s rate of inflation, the price of everything from salt to gold have been at all time highs. The country is witnessing a decline in manufacturing at home, and a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-less-and-less-able-to-feed-itself/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">growing dependency on imports</a>.Nepal’s import bill for the last fiscal year reached a record Rs150 billion, of which more than 60% was for petroleum products. In contrast, the country’s total export earnings last year was only Rs21 billion.There might be more socio-economic factors driving inflation, which is expected to hit 6% this year, and in time, I am sure economists will find out what is driving it.That being said, while everything has become more expensive,<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/buddha-air-spurt-in-domestic-flights/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> domestic airfares in Nepal</a> have become cheaper – not just in real terms but in actual rupee amount.Back in 1999, one US dollar had an official exchange rate of Rs68. The USD-NPR rate today is Rs120 per dollar. There is now such a shortage of hard currency in the exchequer that the government has reduced the $1,500 Nepalis were allowed to exchange for travel abroad.Similarly, the price of gold has skyrocketed from Rs7,587 per 11.7 grams (1 tola) to Rs90,000.Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) used to be Rs30 per litre thirty years ago. It is now at Rs86 per litre. Even inflation has increased by 340% in that period.The main cost factor in Nepal's civil aviation is the price of ATF. Most international airlines make sure they arrive in Kathmandu with enough fuel to fly back to their home airports because the cost of refueling in Kathmandu is the highest in the world. For domestic airlines, aviation fuel makes up 40% of the operating cost.The fortunes of domestic airlines are also affected by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/high-cost-lays-aviation-low-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">turbulence in the price of aviation fuel</a>. But since nearly everything used by domestic airlines -- from the airframe itself to spare parts and equipment and fuel – have to be imported, their costs have also shot up because of the appreciation of the US dollar.Twenty-three years ago, the salary of a branch officer at an airline was at most Rs4,500. A mere Rs100,000 could buy a ropani (500sq m) of land in Kathmandu. But in that time, the cost of an air ticket to Biratnagar, Nepalganj, Pokhara and Bhairawa is only Rs1,200 more than it used to be in the late 1990s.One might question why. The main reason is that we are now using larger turboprop aircraft which are more fuel efficient and cost less per passenger mile to operate.At present, Nepal’s domestic airlines fly more than two dozen aircraft with 40 seats or more – with Buddha Air operating more than half the fleet.Buddha Air pioneered the shift to larger turboprops in 2008 with the introduction of ATR42s, and later added the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/buddha-air-atr-72-to-tumlingtar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">larger ATR72s</a>.  Such a large fleet requires state of the art maintenance, and we have established our own hangar with tools and spare parts, all of which are also very important in reducing operating costs.Today, Buddha Air serves 2.5 million passengers annually and we are planning to add more planes in the short takeoff and landing (STOL) category, after which our annual passenger capacity is estimated to reach 3.5 million.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/monsoon-hits-nepal-with-a-bang/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rains, floods and landslides</a> have damaged Nepal’s fragile road infrastructure, and the trend will continue as the Himalaya experiences more extreme weather events due to climate change. Similarly, traffic jams clog up the highways and it is taking longer for intercity travel within Nepal.Nepalis now have a safer, but affordable and accessible alternative mode of transport. The good news is that more<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Nepalis all over the country can now commute by air</a> not just from Kathmandu but also between cities like Nepalganj-Pokhara, Simara-Pokhara. Buddha Air alone serves more than 8,000 domestic passengers a day in 140 flights.As the country recovers from the pandemic, air travel has now become the first choice of Nepalis from all levels and sections of society, and this is primarily because while everything else has become much more expensive in the past 30 years, the cost of air travel has not.  We would not have achieved this success if we had restricted our service to a limited number of aircraft and fewer seats.The global <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/survive-revive-thrive/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">tourism industry</a> is now also picking up after two years and passengers are increasingly confident about the health protocols on board. Nepal’s domestic airlines are poised for another takeoff, boosting the prospect of Nepal’s economic revival.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1633946826045000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEZvvmSD8-dWrdQyVi5UJzGPFEv-A">Birendra B Basnet</a> is Managing Director of Buddha Air.

Now, everyone can fly

In the black and white photograph, General Wangdu smiles broadly in front of the dusty cactus garden in Kathmandu’s Annapurna Hotel. With an ill-fitting jacket and shaggy hair he looks benign enough, but this was the last leader of the Tibetan freedom fighters who led the resistance against the Chinese from their remote mountain hideouts in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Mustang</a>. Five months later, Wangdu was dead. Snapped in March 1974, I had only recently arrived in Nepal. How did I meet this legendary fighter? Possibly with his devoted camp follower, Lynne Klapecki, and probably in the Om Restaurant near Freak Street which was the preferred <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hippie-trail-nostalgia-in-kathmandu">hippie hang-out</a>. Om Lobsang and his brother Yeshe were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/earthquake-brings-back-memories-of-camps-for-tibetan-refugees">refugees from East Tibet </a>whose cafe offered a friendly welcome and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/momo-loco"> the best momos</a> - they became my in-laws after I married their eldest brother Tenzin, but that was a decade later.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1583" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Photo: LISA CHOEGYAL</figcaption> </figure>  Wangdu’s English was enthusiastically rudimentary, but even riding around town with him on the back of an aging <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-new-motorbike-museum">motorbike</a>, he was a commanding presence. Always flanked by armed outriders, impressive scars marked his forearms and a pistol hung from the cord around his neck. A charismatic guerrilla leader, Wangdu was celebrated by his followers for his tough commitment and respected for his measured pragmatism. He seemed so young to have shouldered such a responsibility of command, leading hundreds of hardened <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/50-years-after-the%20raid-into-Tibet,1012#google_vignette">Khampa combatants </a>through what had been a particularly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya">brutal winter in Mustang</a>, the last bastion to hold out against the Chinese invasion of their Tibetan homeland.&nbsp; The freedom fighters of Tibet, known as the Chushi-Gangdruk, had emerged to resist the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Chinese takeover</a> of Tibet during the 1950s. Estimated to be 80,000-strong at the time of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-or-who-after-the-dalai-lama">the Dalai Lama</a>’s final escape to India in 1959, the sheer number of Chinese deployed into Tibet eventually forced the Chushi-Gangdruk to retreat to Mustang, From this high Himalayan stronghold, they continued cross-border raids on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout the 1960s.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="676" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Guerrillas known as the Chushi-Gangdruk emerged to resist the Chinese annexation of Tibet during the 1950s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>  Their Kathmandu base was a small discreet lodge in a back lane near Rani Pokhari. Sipping sweet tea from a blue mug with a chipped lid, I sat bemused in a corner of the Mustang Hotel room whilst Wangdu and his cohorts received a battered brown suitcase from their CIA connection, a tousle-haired American in a leather jacket. Heaved onto the dingy bedspread that covered the thin mattress, it was clicked open to reveal piles of neatly stacked dollar bills.&nbsp; I cannot think why Wangdu allowed me to witness this handover but I was clearly no threat, a newly arrived world traveller with no understanding of the stakes nor any Nepali or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/tibetan-music-in-nepals-sacred-valley">Tibetan language</a>. Despite armed guards in the corridor,Wangdu radiated confidence and bravado, and there was a practiced familiarity to the tense transaction. This deadly dance for many years had been funded by the Americans, tolerated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kingdom-within-a-republic">Mustang’s residents</a>, and permitted by King Mahendra and the Nepali authorities who it suited to turn a blind eye.&nbsp; But Mahendra died in 1972, and times were changing. Richard Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy thawed the cold war and signalled a fresh entente with China. Nepal’s yet-to-be-crowned <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-could-still-be-a-monarchy">King Birendra </a>was under pressure to curb the irritating incursions against the PLA launched from the Nepali territory of Mustang. Keen to appease his northern neighbour, on several occasions the King summoned Wangdu for peace talks but, despite increasingly overwhelming odds, Wangdu refused to surrender.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1055" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>General Wangdu flanked by two Tibetan resistance fighters in Mustang in the 1970s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31" data-rendition-name="original" width="1044" height="792" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>King Birendra with General Wangdu (right in dark glasses) taken in 1974 possibly in Mustang after one of their few attempts at negotiation. Photo courtesy: RAJRNDRA KUNWAR</figcaption> </figure>  While I naively rode pillion around Kathmandu in the spring sunshine, Wangdu was in the midst of what turned out to be his final round of negotiations with the Nepal government. Refusing to cease hostilities with the Chinese, Wangdu must have suspected the cost of his decision, making his cheerful smile in the photograph all the more poignant and brave. It was only much later that I appreciated the significance of the moment. Wangdu had been sent to replace the first resistance leader in Mustang, Baba Gen Yeshe, a much derided corrupt character who stole money meant for his troops and exploited fleeing refugees by seizing their treasures. Baba Gen Yeshe never forgave Wangdu,and sought revenge in May 1974 by betraying him and his commanders to the Nepal authorities. Renewed Chinese incursions from the north, active PLA collusion with the Nepali forces under the new King, and treachery from within the Chushi-Gangdrukranks combined to seal their fate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="769" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>British television journalists George Patterson and Adrian Cowell embedded themselves with Khampa guerrillas and accompanied them from Tsum Valley on a cross border raid on a Chinese Army convoy in 1964. Photo: ESSAYS ON NEPAL / SAM COWAN</figcaption> </figure>  Mikel Dunham, renowned author of Buddha’s Warriors, writes: ‘It is possible that Wangdu was waiting for some cue from the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. It is equally possible – during that last, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-human-cost-of-nepal-s-yarsa-gold-rush?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31-Cqw8oyIwMPzf_35e4Skr0ululJvLf3_vDkzHn-AYG2h8uPw2rqqErg_aem_tGVn5coY1-jA7fze_xqhew">desolate winter </a>– that he made the decision to go out in glory rather than admit defeat. Over the last fifteen years, Wangdu had experienced Tibet’s organized resistance being squeezed and shoved around by every conceivable outside force.&nbsp; First they had been pushed out of their own country by the PLA; then they had been refused sanction while on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds?fbclid=IwAR0PpJ5zUEbwdug3g_U3ar6FUugngRY0S8Tl2v_7wqzrsHmXWcXsKjvL4t4">Indian soil</a>; then they were abandoned by the Americans because, apparently, Nixon wanted to make friends with Wangdu’s mortal enemies, the communists; then they had been betrayed by the vampiric Baba Gen Yeshe – a Tibetan and, even worse, a fellow Khampa; and now, finally Wangdu’s army was being evicted by the Nepalis. One thing was certain: Wangdu was a warrior. To imagine Wangdu simply giving up and settling down in the pacific squalor of a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/elderly-left-in-bhutan-refugee-camp">refugee camp </a>was unthinkable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="746" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>The much derided Baba Gen Yeshe, the first Tibetan resistance leader in Mustang, who betrayed Wangdu for personal gain. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="656" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Aditya SJB Rana of the Royal Nepal Army whose team ambushed Wangdu and his cohorts at the top of Tinker Pass in Darchula, West Nepal. Photo courtesy: GAUTAM SJB RANA</figcaption> </figure>  By August 1974 the game was up. Wangdu and six of his exhausted party were killed on their horses by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7270">the Royal Nepal Army</a> on the brink of escape. The officer in charge, Aditya SJB Rana, cleverly predicted their route into India after they failed to silence a police radio in Yari. A carefully laid ambush trapped them near the summit of the Tinker Pass in Darchula,at 5,000 meters the highest military operation of its time. Wangdu’s body was helicoptered to Kathmandu, and a big show made of the royal Nepal victory.&nbsp; The Tibetan armed insurgency against China had reached its end.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_23" data-image-id="20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> </figure>

The Last Days of the Khampa

Starting 17 September Turkish Airlines will fly daily to Seville, one of Spain’s major tourist draws. This is Turkish’s sixth destination in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, and Bilbao. Seville is in the Andalusia region on Spain’s south coast with a rich Moor history. There are approximately 30,000 Nepalis living in Spain.&nbsp;

Turkish to Seville

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

Digital protection for Nepal’s art

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prabalgurung/" target="_blank">Prabal Gurung</a> left Nepal for New York in 1999 to escape years of bullying, sexism and homophobia, and to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqN0VaoAI5w" target="_blank">realised his dream</a>, but did not escape discrimination and racism in the new world. Propelled by passion for fashion, Gurung overcame everything America threw at him. He has attained <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/prabal-gurung-recalls-his-first-met-gala-when-zoe-saldana-was-at-his-side?srsltid=AfmBOooy-H0oGgxMit864FnW_Pmw8mUnV8rYrh-co-f6OyYK6m2ip5hP" target="_blank">fame and recognition</a> for his haute couture dress designs while remaining true to his Nepali roots, and is even more resolute in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSmNauyzACk" target="_blank">fighting prejudice</a> in all its forms. Prabal Gurung’s newly-released memoir <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Walk-Like-Girl-Memoir/dp/B0DG11HCDQ?fbclid=IwY2xjawKZfpxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuZcIJO2OXyXcRm1oq1iG6wzeoF7VJFrQ7GXOFI0YxuZZ4id_CNvSZSZZIna_aem_pG_mOKG73RTnYvN8JaC4fA">Walk Like a Girl</a> is a saga of harrowing abuse in boarding schools in Nepal and India, only finding himself facing a different kind of bullying in the US. He prevails over it all to be where he is today: an award-winning American fashion designer with his own label. Walk Like a Girl was launched last week in New York at a time when everything Gurung fought for — tolerance, inclusion and diversity — are in retreat in his adopted country because of a president who has espoused a culture of bullying. The book is a searing, raw exposé of how cruel and abusive people can be even at a young age in school. On the other hand, it also shows that there are generous, compassionate and open-minded souls out there. In his book, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4le_uWX7YE">Prabal Gurung</a> calls out those who tormented and tried to hold him back (some of their names have been altered). The moral of his story is: resist, never stop believing in yourself, do not let others define you, never lose sight of your dream, and help those who have been kept out. “Walk like a girl” was a slur used by bullies back in school in Nepal and India for Gurung’s effeminate ways. He fought back then, and he is still resisting by turning those words into something to be proud of.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170544_4ffc9c3f565dd2cfa754d10b224816897b82bb31ebaee91b6d79d469fc96f14e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250519170544_4ffc9c3f565dd2cfa754d10b224816897b82bb31ebaee91b6d79d469fc96f14e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1253" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung NT"> <figcaption>Prabal Gurung at home in Kathmandu in the 1990s.</figcaption> </figure>  “Living through it all was one thing, but writing about it is one of the hardest things I have done in my life,” admitted Gurung during the launch. “I broke down constantly during the six-year writing process.” He continues: “I did not want this to be a victim’s book. I did not want to burden my readers with my emotions. I wanted my struggle to be an inspiration for others facing what I faced. I am grateful to those who bullied me in school, they made me a stronger person ready to face the world.” Indeed, this book is a departure from his earlier one titled simply, Prabal Gurung (Abrams, 2019), which was a lush pictorial autobiography of his career in fashion. Walk Like a Girl is not a typical fashion book, it is an intimate tale of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16997">Gurung’s travails and triumphs</a>, and how he willed himself to succeed. Prabal pays a lavish tribute to his mother Durga Rana. We find out she is a descendant of the first wife of the eldest son of Jang Bahadur Rana who was banished to Palpa in the late 19th century. Prabal’s father served in the Singapore Police and that is where he was born before the family returned to Nepal when he was four. Gurung relates with brutal honesty about the violence his mother endured from his father. Durga raises three children as a single mother in Nepal, and Prabal credits her for his fierce determination to resist patriarchy and injustice, which in time manifests itself in his hyper-feminine and subversive dress designs. Writing the book has been a cathartic experience for Gurung, who says he is now relieved of the burdens of his past. It no longer haunts him, and he does not have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Walk Like a Girl has life lessons not just for the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJmOcSgxdWz/" target="_blank">fashion industry</a>, but for every other profession. How can my job serve a greater cause? Gurung tells us his work is <a href="https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/why-designer-prabal-gurung-doesnt-want-just-stick-fashion" target="_blank">bigger than just making clothes</a>, it is about making the world a better place because it could do with a lot of improvement.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170544_d75296ad8bfdc00d88935f40d23543c6fea3d4d6a10e61a99d6cfc6127f2ee5b.png" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20250519170544_d75296ad8bfdc00d88935f40d23543c6fea3d4d6a10e61a99d6cfc6127f2ee5b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1516" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung"> </figure>  This story of chasing the American dream may sound familiar to many immigrants: knocking on doors for jobs, rejections, trying to survive from day to day on expensive rent, and dealing with subtle racism in white America. Gurung finds racism is rife, and he is often mockingly called ‘gaysian’. He writes: ‘There was a strong hypocrisy — this idea of independence felt like a marketting ruse … and for all the talk of feminism in America, these high society women were trapped by the patriarchy just like in Nepal and India.’ After a trek to the Khumbu region in 2013, Gurung is inspired to use the colours, palette and textures of Nepal for his collection exhibited on Manhattan’s 8th Avenue. A major buyer tells him bluntly: “Stick to making pretty dresses … if I need to see a collection like this, I could buy a copy of National Geographic.” The New York Times was equally dismissive: ‘The designer tries to draw connections between blistered techo-fabric used to construct it and the topography of his homeland, Nepal. But, at the moment, he has lost his map.’ One potential investor tells Gurung he cannot design for Americana because “you do not look American”. Gurung wants to use expletives, but restrains himself. After a fundraiser in New York for the Nepal earthquake in 2015, some belittled his effort, saying: “Here comes the saviour."&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/prabal-gurung-by-prabal-gurung">Prabal Gurung by Prabal Gurung</a>, Kunda Dixit The Gurkha DNA must be dominant in Prabal Gurung’s genes because he does not take such mistreatment lying down. When asked by a fashion publicist why he was designing clothes for fat people, he snaps back: “Because of people like you.” He joins the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, launches the Shikshya Foundation charity in Nepal, and has powerful allies among celebrities who wear clothes he designed: Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Sara Jessica Parker, Kamala Harris, Deepika Padukone … it is a long list.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519150556_48a5f4211991a23fa85b64bbd5377575ca7081d97309d7542035591dda5180fe.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250519150556_48a5f4211991a23fa85b64bbd5377575ca7081d97309d7542035591dda5180fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="1534" loading="lazy" alt="Being Prabal Gurung by design"> <figcaption>Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wearing Atelier Prabal Gurung’s design for Met Gala 2025 in which the theme was ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’. </figcaption> </figure>  “I don’t dress women to look beautiful, they already are,” Gurung says. “I try to bring out their innate strength and grace.” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17908766880140171/" target="_blank">Admirers</a> tell Gurung he makes it all look so easy, but he used to put up a strong facade to not show his own vulnerabilities in public. “I was closed because of my childhood experiences,” he says. “I was always on guard to defend myself because I never knew where the next punch would come from.” But in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVepzPA210" target="_blank">Walk Like a Girl,</a> Gurung comes to terms with his vulnerability, and bares his soul. It has not been easy, it took sustained will power and support from his mother, sister Kumudini and a circle of close friends. “I made unbelonging my power,” he says. “Nepal is where I still have my heart and soul. Nepal grounds you. It is where people go to find themselves. But I escaped.” Recently appointed vice-chair of the <a href="https://cfda.com/about-cfda" target="_blank">Council of American Fashion Designers</a>, Gurung says: “I can’t believe I am here, it feels like it is happening to someone else. Writing this book, the healing has finally begun.” <h2>‘Everything is better in color’</h2> The Met Gala was two weeks later, and my table was an example of everything I’d been fighting for all these years as my guests represented everything I believed in: dynamic, powerful, influential women who were unapologetically original and unabashedly graceful. I was grateful to Anna for inviting me to host and dress a table that reflected my ethos—and for her guidance in doing so. I was also aware of the privilege as one of the first-­ever Asian fashion designers—not just from Nepal, but from the entire continent— to get the opportunity to do so. That fact was not lost on me. I reached out beyond the expected Hollywood celebrities and well-­known socialites to curate a table of exceptional women who inspired me. I invited Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt for their first-­ever Met Galas, as well as Michelle Yeoh, Mindy Kaling, Camila Cabello, Ashley Park, Denée Benton, KiKi Layne, Quannah Chasinghorse, and Grace Elizabeth. Together we checked many boxes: Asian, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous, each woman undeniably chic and powerful, a dazzling array of skin tones and experiences that proved my decades‑in‑the-­making hypothesis: everything is better in color. Excerpt from Walk Like a Girl Viking © 2025 by Prabal Gurung  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170520_6b91d560e9f072c37d16876901058c073a51ffa05e7ad1b9461d19e1c9c28215.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250519170520_6b91d560e9f072c37d16876901058c073a51ffa05e7ad1b9461d19e1c9c28215" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung book details NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170520_345240c21be400e2ce2ec629b52bd82bb53890e5bd86fe95b48340d84b5f1748.jpg" data-media-id="editor_17" data-image-id="20250519170520_345240c21be400e2ce2ec629b52bd82bb53890e5bd86fe95b48340d84b5f1748" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung book details NT"> </figure>  &nbsp;