Can you fly straight to Lumbini? What is actually landing at Bhairahawa in 2026
Bhairahawa, the airport for Lumbini, has had no scheduled international flight since March. Nepal Airlines plans to base a jet there from November.
At a glance
- Published · updated
- TopicFlights & Access
- Verified againstThe Kathmandu Post
- Treks coveredKathmandu & Pokhara Tour — 5 Days, Kathmandu Valley Cultural Tour — 3 Days, Poon Hill & Annapurna Panorama Trek — 10 Days
Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa, the gateway to Lumbini, has had no scheduled international flight since March 2026. Its only regular service, Thai AirAsia’s twice-weekly flight from Bangkok, ran through the winter schedule and stopped. The next real chance is November, when Nepal Airlines plans to base a jet there and start regular international flights. For now, most visitors still reach Lumbini through Kathmandu, then by domestic flight or road.
From the trail · Mustang
Key facts
- No scheduled international flights since Thai AirAsia’s Bangkok service ended in March 2026
- Nepal Airlines ran test flights in August and plans to base an A320 there from the November 2026 winter schedule
- The Kuwait Airways flight in April was a one-off repatriation charter, not a route
- The airport opened in May 2022 and has handled 69,316 international passengers in four years
What is flying now, and what comes next
Nothing scheduled, today. Thai AirAsia resumed its Bangkok–Bhairahawa flights on 26 October 2025, twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays, and they were the airport’s only regular international service until the winter schedule ended in March. Between August 2025 and March 2026 the airport handled 170 international flights and 6,874 passengers. The acting general manager, Shyam Kishor Shah, told Khabarhub in July that aircraft arrive but “return flights are almost empty”.
The Kuwait Airways Boeing 777 that landed in April was a one-off charter bringing Nepali workers home when regional conflict disrupted flights to Kuwait, the first 777 ever to land there. The next scheduled service is the one Nepal Airlines is preparing: it ran pilot-training test flights in mid-August and plans to station one Airbus A320 at Bhairahawa for regular international flights from the winter schedule that starts in November.
| Airline / route | Status |
|---|---|
| Thai AirAsia, Bangkok | Ended March 2026 |
| Kuwait Airways, Kuwait City | One-off charter, April 2026 |
| Nepal Airlines base | Planned from November 2026 |
Why it matters
For visitors, a working Bhairahawa airport would be a genuine convenience. It puts you a short drive from Lumbini's sacred garden, spares pilgrims the long overland haul from Kathmandu, and opens a southern gateway to the country that eases pressure on the capital's single congested airport. Until it has a regular schedule, though, Kathmandu remains the front door, and Lumbini is a short domestic flight or a day’s drive from there.
What this means for you
If a Lumbini pilgrimage is on your list — especially for travellers from India, the Gulf or Southeast Asia — plan on arriving through Kathmandu for now, and watch Bhairahawa from November, when Nepal Airlines’ base is due to open. We build Buddhist-circuit itineraries that pair Lumbini with Kathmandu's great stupas, and can fold in a gentle Annapurna-foothills trek from nearby Pokhara.
Sources: Khabarhub (8 July 2026); New Spotlight, citing the airport’s general manager (14 August 2026); The Kathmandu Post (8 February and 31 March 2026); Nepalnews (26 October 2025). Updated 19 September 2026.
Cover photo: Rangan Datta Wiki via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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