RSS (KATHMANDU, 17 December 2020) – Nepal-India flight, suspended for the past nine months due to COVID-19 pandemic, has been resumed from today.
A narrow-body aircraft of the Nepal Airlines has flown towards New Delhi carrying 141 passengers at 11:20 am, according to the Tribhuvan International Airport Office. Similarly, the aircraft is scheduled to return to Kathmandu today itself.
According to the Nepal Airlines Corporation, the narrow-body aircraft has flown to New Delhi carrying 135 passengers of economy class and six passengers of business class.
NAC Spokesperson Karishma Shrestha said that the occupancy of the first flight resumed after nine months is very enthusiastic and two flights have been expected for New Delhi every day as like in previous days.
Shrestha shared, “The NAC, being very excited from India’s air transport bubble concept, has been involved to make flights. Resumption of flights has been expected in the other two destinations of India soon.”
Both countries would make two flights to Kathmandu-New Delhi destination per day. Regular flights along the Kathmandu-New Delhi route have resumed after governments of both countries decided to resume it under ‘Transport Bubble Mechanism’.
Nepal’s national flag carrier Nepal Airlines, and India’s Air India would make flights daily. The NAC had suspended the Kathmandu-Delhi flight from March 23, 2020 due to lockdown following the coronavirus pandemic.
The government had resumed international flights from September 1. However, flights to three Indian destinations — New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore — were not opened due to the high infection rate in India.
The NAC has been operating international flights at nine destinations in seven countries including three in India. The NAC has two wide-body aircraft and two narrow-body aircraft for international flights.