Pawan Kumar Halwai, director of Bhairahawa's landmark confectionery Pawan Misthan Bhandar, had initially planned to build a hospital in memory of his mother.

But when he heard that the government was building an international airport in Bhairahawa, he changed his mind and built a luxury hotel in expectation of a tourism upsurge.

Halwai spent more than Rs3 billion on his five-star property, the Pawan Palace, only to realise that the excitement over the international airport may have been a bit premature.

Gautam Buddha International Airport opened to much fanfare, but the tourists are not coming because there are no airlines to bring them.

“The return has been frustrating so far,” Halwai said. “We had expected that the inflow of tourists would increase exponentially after the new airport came into operation.”

Nothing seemed to be going right. First, it took more than seven years to complete Nepal’s second international airport project. Then Covid-19 came and hit the entire tourism sector.

The government failed to market the airport and launch promotional programmes to attract foreign airlines. The high charges and fees were slashed after foreign airlines stayed away. The government then announced a host of free services for a year to attract foreign airlines.

So far, only one foreign airline has come to Gautam Buddha International Airport. After the lone flight departs, staff at the brand new facility, which stays open 24/7, have little to do.

“The airport is our only hope. It needs to be utilised to its full potential,” said Halwai.

More than four months after Nepal’s second international airport threw its doors open, travel trade entrepreneurs say tourism activities have not picked up.

“The new airport has only been helpful for migrant workers. We don’t see tourists coming from the plane at the new airport,” said Chandra Prakash Shrestha, central committee member of Hotel Association Nepal and president of the Siddhartha Hotel Association.

The new facility had raised hopes of tourism growth in western Nepal.

“The airport has really disappointed the tourism fraternity,” said Shrestha. “The government should take the issue seriously and make a diplomatic initiative to attract more airlines.”

The government spent nearly Rs40 billion to build the country's second international airport in the southern plains, and it has been trying hard to get foreign airlines to use the new facility since it launched on May 16.

The modern facility has been named Gautam Buddha International Airport, as it was envisaged to be the gateway to the pilgrimage site of the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini nearby.

Development activities have been booming in Bhairahawa. The once sleepy market town in the Tarai plains was thrust onto the international stage after becoming the gateway to the pilgrimage destination of Lumbini.

Proliferating factories and a rapidly spreading transportation network have turned Bhairahawa into an economic powerhouse.

Lumbini, which attracts international pilgrims as the birthplace of the Buddha, has observed the construction of large-scale infrastructure including a bevy of luxury hotels after talks about the construction of an international airport began in 2010.

Investment is pouring in, but most entrepreneurs in Bhairahawa echo Halwai’s concern.

Seven five-star hotels have been built in the Lumbini-Bhairahawa area so far. More hotels targeting every kind of customer are being constructed in Butwal, Shankar Nagar, Manigram, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu and other parts of Lumbini province.

“Though the government has invested nearly Rs40 billion in the international airport, the private sector have invested 10 times more in other infrastructure,” said Shree Chandra Gupta, a tourism entrepreneur in Bhairahawa, and a senior vice-president at the Lumbini Chapter of Society of Travel and Tour Operators Nepal.

“The airport needs proper operation. It’s our hope.”

Gautam Buddha International Airport is a 280-km drive from Kathmandu, and it is also intended to serve as an alternate and backup international air transport point for Nepal, should poor weather conditions or a natural calamity shut down the capital's Tribhuvan International Airport.

Located in south central Nepal and spread over 533 hectares, the new airport is an infrastructure showpiece, according to tourism industry insiders.

The modern facility has a 15,169 square-metre terminal building with a capacity to serve nearly a million passengers a year. The airport's 3,000-metre runway is long enough to handle the largest commercial jets.

Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways made the first international flight to the new airport on May 16.

Airport officials said that as per the plan, the airport would initially serve 10 flights a day, and by 2033, the facilities would be upgraded to serve 60 flights a day.

Airport authorities say they have been trying their best to attract more airlines.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the country’s aviation regulator, has requested international airlines operating more than two flights at Tribhuvan International Airport to divert at least one flight to Bhairahawa, said Govinda Prasad Dahal, chief of Gautam Buddha International Airport.

Despite the near no-show of foreign airlines, the airport has stimulated economic activities to some extent in the region.

Black Forest, a bakery and coffee shop which has been serving customers for the past two years at Buddha Chowk in Bhairahawa, used to close by 10pm. Now it stays open 24/7 due to the rush of customers.

“The opening of the airport has boosted our business,” said the manager Dil Bahadur Garbuja.

The airport has led to increased footfall at night businesses, including hotels, restaurants, department stores and shopping malls near the airport.

Entrepreneurs have launched various products like spas, massage centres and other new businesses too.

Travel trade entrepreneurs say that Bhairahawa has a huge potential to offer night tourism that can revitalise the region’s economy.

Along with the international airport, Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha, and other areas of historical and archaeological significance related to it, roadways and other available infrastructure are adequate for promoting night tourism, they say.

The local administration has made a working procedure to allow such activities, which they plan to implement after finalising the required conditions including security of visitors.

“Nighttime activities can help to lengthen the stay of visitors,” said Anil Gyawali, president of the Organisation of Industries and Commerce, Rupandehi.

Jazeera Airways is the sole airline flying into Bhairahawa.

As of Thursday, the airline had conducted 61 flights. It flew 8,143 passengers to Kuwait and brought 7,454 passengers to Bhairahawa.

"Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier Wizz Air has been preparing to operate flights from Abu Dhabi to Bhairahawa from October 30," said Dahal. It plans to conduct three flights a week.

“We have been promoting the new airport. Some airlines have come in our contact and have shown interest,” said Dahal.