The Sukilumba airport here is coming into operation soon. Ilam municipality and Tara Air Pvt Ltd have inked a deal to run the air services through the airport. The agreement has ascertained the beginning of flight service on every Sunday from February 20 onward. The municipality has signed an agreement for 12 flights. Rs 8,000 has been set as one-way flight fare of the 16-seater aircraft.

According to the agreement, Ilam municipality will pay the round trip air fare of 11 passengers. The municipality has incentivized round trip air service upon the payment of one way fare. Mayor Mahesh Basnet shared passengers would get round trip air ticket once paying only Rs 8,700. The agreement was signed to operate the flight service for at least three months. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the airport has placed its every preparation for managing flight services. The runway with 670-meter length and 20 meter breadth has been already blacktopped.

So far Rs 280 million has been spent for the construction and maintenance of the airport, the CAAN sources said. A test flight was done on 4 June 2018. With the airport coming into operation, passengers to and from Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung and Darjeeling, Sikkim of India will get travel convenience.