June 30: Domestic airline companies have started making  their first flights from half a dozen airports other than the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) from Tuesday morning (June 28). The airlines companies that were reluctant to park their aircraft outside the TIA for night stop have approved new flight schedules and have also started the first flight from their new bases.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had instructed the companies to pick up eight airports outside Kathmandu to start the first flight from the morning of June 28. TIA spokesperson Teknath Sitaula said that all the nine airlines have already approved the flight schedule and night parking at the designated airports.

 He stated that the directive of CAAN has finally been implemented. He added that the parking problem at the domestic airport and air security is bound to improve along with this new arrangement. According to the number of aircraft they have, all the airlines will keep 33 percent of the planes at the designated airports.

According to Sitaula, Buddha Air has the highest number of flights with many fixed-wing aircraft. The company has 15 aircraft including ATRs.

The company's communications manager Dipendra Kumar Karna said the aircraft were sent to various airports on Monday night for night parking. He said that Buddha Air made its first flights from five different airports (Dhangadhi, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Janakpur and Simara) on Tuesday.

Yeti Airlines’ spokesperson Sudarshan Bartaula said that the company has made Nepalgunj and Biratnagar as their new bases for the time being.

CAAN had instructed the companies to set up night bases outside the Kathmandu valley, but the aircraft of those companies are allowed to take off and land in Kathmandu. However, night parking of certain number of aircraft is not allowed. Although the parking capacity of TIA's domestic airport is 17, more than 35 aircrafts were being parked at the airport.

CAAN has designated airports of Chandragadhi, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Simara, Nepalgunj, Bhairahawa, Dhangadhi and Kathmandu as bases on the basis of AOC for operating the aircraft.