Flights & Access
It was meant to fly trekkers straight to the Annapurnas. Three years on, India's airspace and a debt-heavy build have left it nearly empty.
By Laxman Rawal · Jun 30, 2026
It cost about USD 216 million, was built by a Chinese state contractor, and was sold as the airport that would finally let international trekkers skip chaotic Kathmandu and fly straight to the Annapurnas. More than three years after it opened on 1 January…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
On paper, Pokhara should be Nepal's second international gateway: it is the staging town for the Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp and Poon Hill, and the country's adventure capital. Instead, the airport has spent three years as what local commentators…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The financing adds pressure. The bulk of the bill is a loan from the Export-Import Bank of China, repayable over 20 years after a seven-year grace period — a clock that is now ticking on an airport earning a fraction of what it needs. Critics have drawn…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
None of this changes the trekking, which remains superb: from Pokhara you can be on the trail to Annapurna Base Camp , the Annapurna Circuit or the gentle Ghorepani Poon Hill route within hours of landing. For the other half of Nepal's airport story — the one…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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