Regular international flights resume after five-month-long suspension

Kathmandu / Sept. 1: After a five-month-long suspension in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic induced lockdown, the international flights have resumed from today with certain security protocols.

Earlier, the government had decided to allow international flights from some countries where the RT PCR testing was accessible. As allowed, regular flights would take place with the condition that there will be no more than 500 air passengers each day.

However, chartered international flights could also be operated even during this time.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has already unveiled the schedules for both the regular and chartered flights for the month of September.

Only Nepali nationals, diplomats and officials from different countries assigned to work in their Nepal-based missions and UN officials would be allowed to come to Nepal in the regular flights from the countries where the RT PCR testing is accessible. The countries include Malaysia, UAE, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, China, Australia, USA, Canada and EU member countries.

However, the passengers’ arrival from the regular flights is not allowed from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other countries with difficulties in PCR testing.

In the first day of the regular flights, an aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation is scheduled to fly to Narita of Japan at 1:00 tonight.

Nepal had suspended the international flights from the very beginning of the lockdown order imposed in March. Since then, Nepal had rescue chartered flights to repatriate stranded Nepali migrant workers from the destination countries and cargo flights were also made to bring in essential health materials.

Nepal Airlines Corporation is operating only one flight today. NAC’s wide-body aircraft will fly towards Narita of Japan tonight, the Tribhuvan International Airport Office stated.

The other private airlines companies are not conducting any international flights today, except the chartered ones. However, there will be five chartered flights today. A NAC aircraft has already flown towards its destination this morning while the Himalaya Airlines is also operating a chartered flight.

Nepal Airlines will bring in stranded Nepalis from Doha and Kuwait while Himalaya Airlines will bring passengers from Doha and Kunming of China. Similarly, Air Arabia will also conduct a chartered flight tonight to bring back stranded Nepalis from Sharjah. RSS