Cosmic Air launched Nepal's first domestic flights with a jet aircraft this week offering direct flights to Bhairawa, Biratnagar and Nepalganj. Captain RP Pradhan (seen here alighting from his Fokker 100 after the inaugural flight to Biratnagar on Tuesday) told Nepali Times what made it feasible, and about Cosmic's future plans.

Why have you decided to take this jump when tourism is in a slump?
The reduction in the number of tourists has been more than made up for by the growth in domestic traffic. Bus travel is getting unreliable and if passengers are given an affordable alternative, they will fly. We have launched flights to and from Biratnagar, Bhairawa and Nepalganj and will soon start Pokhara.

Is it feasible to operate a jet aircraft on such short domestic routes?
We chose the Fokker 100 for its relatively short take-off performance. It also consumes a lot less fuel per passenger mile than smaller turboprops. Jets are also more reliable than turboprops.

How about India traffic?
We have been studying the Nepal-India market for some time now. There is massive movement of people between the two countries, those who fly are just the tip of the iceberg. There is potential for growth because they will prefer comfortable air service at an affordable price. Once we begin our scheduled flights to New Delhi, people can get there in the morning and return in the evening flight. There is no point in just sitting here saying there are no tourists. The thing to do is to create the market.

But it is a big risk.
If government policy is consistent, there is proper regulation and no unfair competition then it is not risky. You have to believe in your market and go for it. But you are right, the airline business demands huge capital outlay, it needs meticulous planning.

How about safety?
Given the growth in domestic airline traffic, safety has actually improved. Jet aircrafts are far more reliable than turboprops and since the 100s fly higher, they are also less affected by weather conditions.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has also become quite watchful when it comes to air safety, and we are waiting for upgrades in infrastructure and ground navaids.

When do you plan to launch regional operations?
Within a couple of weeks, our second Fokker 100 will arrive and we will begin twice-daily flights to Delhi and Dhaka. At a later stage, we will also begin services to Bangkok, Bangalore, Paro, Colombo and Bombay.

Under what arrangement did you acquire the Fokker 100 jet aircraft?
We have brought it under dry lease arrangement, which means we will have to bear maintenance, operation and insurance costs. The aircraft was manufactured in Holland in the 1990s.