At Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu, the security insists on feeding all hand baggage through an x-ray machine, but hand-checks the contents anyhow. The lady next to me protests because all her matchboxes are taken from her, and isn't consoled when informed that it's a non-smoking flight anyway. Another long queue snakes slowly towards a second frisking point: once more, the baggage is opened and checked, and the body frisk would be a masseur's delight. On the windy runway, passengers help identify their checked-in baggage that had earlier been screened by another x-ray machine. The flight, predictably, is late.
On December 24, 1999, security wasn't as tight and five hijackers boarded Indian Airlines flight IC 184 to take it via Amritsar and Dubai to Kandahar where passengers were held to ransom against the release of Pakistani terrorists held in Indian jails. For a decade, India had been paying court to laidback Nepal to step up security considerations but had failed to communicate how vital this was. In retaliation therefore, and with immediate effect, India cancelled all Indian Airlines flights to Nepal.
Almost two months since that discontinuation, the Nepalese tourism industry has been reduced to begging India on its knees to resume those flights. Though Kathmandu has an international airport, and has connections with Europe and South-east Asia, India has been its feeder point. Following the cancellation of Indian Airlines' 12 weekly flights from Delhi, Calcutta and Varanasi, Indian visitor arrivals have plummeted by over 54 per cent in January 2000 alone. And since most foreign groups are routed through India, their arrivals have been hurt, and tour operators are at their wits' end rearranging itineraries so they can take one of the three daily Royal Nepal Airlines to Nepal.
The Hotel Association of Nepal's president, Narendra Bajracharya pleads: "Please request Indian Airlines to resume its flights. After all, we have taken all the steps required at the airport to step up security even beyond what is required under the International Civil Aviation Organisation." But for now, Indian authorities are still stoic, saying it's like locking the stable after the horse has bolted, and Nepal should have listened to Big Brother before.
And like the Little Brother, Nepalese sentiments have been hurt. "Why are they treating us like this," innumerable hotel owners and managers query, "when we have always been friends?" In fact, as far as Nepal goes, the villain of the piece is clearly Zee News which wrongly projected young businessman and hobby comedian in films Gajendra Tamrakar as one of the terrorists. Later news broadcasts, civil aviation officials in Kathmandu claim, were beamed about lax security at the airport after the reporters had been given permission to enter there.
Indian ambassador KV Rajan is sympathetic: "Nepal is in a state of shock," he admits, "but the moment the flights resume, the atmosphere will relax." For now, part of that atmosphere is being vitiated by the anti-India stance of an aggressive lobby that sees in it a hegemonistic tendency to bully Nepal into submission on security considerations. This is fuelled by rumours that Indian Airlines/India wants its own security arrangements at Tribhuvan airport. However, the minister of civil aviation and tourism, Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar denies that such a request has been formally made, but isn't able to scotch suspicion that India may actually have informally asked for this. "We will act in accordance with ICAO recommendations," he informs grimly.
Meanwhile, a technical civil aviation team that visited Kathmandu from January 19-24 has yet to make public its findings and discuss its security wishlist with the Nepalese authorities. On its part, the Probe Committee set up by the Nepalese government has made certain security recommendations that are now being implemented under a powerful cabinet committee. This includes stricter vigilance and the creation of a sterile zone at the airport. But it all comes back to that same question: In not communicating transparently with Nepal, is the Big Brother hardening its stance towards the Little Brother?
Not so, claims ambassador Rajan. "We have to take a long-term view of the hijacking, airport security and the 1,700 km-long open border we share between the two countries." In Nepal, Rajan is viewed favourably, and perhaps with good reason: "Nepal has been cooperating with us," he affirms, "but it is also a haven of ISI activity. Though this has nothing to do with the Nepalese government, ISI is taking advantage of the situation here."
That it's clearly a case of India being unduly harsh, or security-sensitive, is brought home by the fact that from Thai Airways and Singapore Airlines to Gulf Air and Austrian Airlines, all other carriers have continued with their Kathmandu operations. But then, they didn't have a honeymooner on their flight who was murdered by hijackers. In India, the popular perception of Nepal as a honeymooner's haven nosedived. Even though the honeymooners are trickling back, the recovery is slow, and hoteliers are worried that if counter-measures aren't taken soon, they could end up losing not just the Indian honeymooners market (at its hottest now) but also the summer season.
To counter this, the Nepal Tourism Board is mounting a Rs 1.5 crore rupee campaign to run in the Indian media over the next few months. Eventually, it is the private sector that is pushing for action since it is bleeding most. Says an official, "Tourism is the backbone of our economy. We'll go all the way to safeguard our interest." Strangely, GDP figures show it contributes only 4 per cent to it, but that may be because the trickle-down effect as well as its cumulative umbrella (shopping) are not taken into account.
Indications are that Indian traffic has started to come back, but without Indian Airlines in place, the availability of seats has made bookings impossible. In late March, Royal Nepal is adding Bangalore to its schedule, but what Nepalese authorities would really like is Indian private carriers Jet and Sahara to link with Kathmandu. "Internationally, it is the image that's hurting us," says the president of the Nepal Association of Travel Agents. "Our principals tell us, since Indian Airlines is not operating to Kathmandu, things could not be safe here."
"Hijacking can happen anywhere in the world," HAN president Narendra Bajracharya points out. "We must not let an incident like this affect the cordial relations between the two countries." Hopes soar every time IA begins to take bookings, but so far these have all proved to be false alarms. Such bookings are endorsed to RNAC, and speculation is restive about when flights will resume. It is evident that resume they will, but New Delhi is tight-lipped about them still.
An unusual fallout, of course, is the exceptional cleanliness of Kathmandu as a result of the low tourist traffic. There are no vehicular traffic jams in the valley, and Thamel, the popular tourist belt, is literally sparkling. The casinos are half-empty, so you can actually get to play at the slot machines without having to queue up. At Bhaktapur and Patan, you can walk around without being elbowed and trod upon by throngs of tourists. At Dhulikhel and Nagarkot, rooms are available without reservations, and if you try hard enough, you can even wangle attractive discounts.
For Indian tourists, therefore, while Indian Airlines is still slumbering over its decision to resume flights, this could be the best time for most to travel to the kingdom. Not only is the security tight (ask the lady who renunciated her matchboxes at the airport), the people are gentle, the sights amazingly clean, the shopping inexpensive (the Indian rupee commands so much more value). And you get this without the benefit of touts.
Now, if only air seats were more easily available...
