SIMKOT, 16: The offices of three private airlines operating in Humla have reopened after local youths had padlocked them, demanding fair and transparent ticket distribution for the Simkot–Nepalgunj route.
Youth from Simkot Rural Municipality-5 had padlocked the offices, saying tickets were being distributed through coordination and favoritism rather than a clear process. They also said the recent shift to a lottery-based system had created confusion and problems.
Ordinary public in trouble as flights to upper hilly districts...
The locks were removed after an all-party meeting held on Saturday under the leadership of Chief District Officer Tek Kumar Regmi.
Regmi said the meeting agreed on several points. Two seats on every flight will be reserved for patients, three seats will be recommended by the District Administration Office for government staff, and three seats will be issued by the airlines through online booking with prior public notice.
Residents of Simkot 5 and 6 will receive one reserved ticket each through ward recommendations, and the remaining tickets will be distributed by the airlines based on need and convenience.
Simkot 5 and 6 will get first priority in reservations. This arrangement applies to all flights of Sita Air, Summit, Tara Air and Nepal Airlines operating at Simkot Airport.
