KATHMANDU, MAY 28

The Government of Nepal has decided to allow passenger flights to and from China, Turkey and Qatar.

A meeting of Council of Ministers held Thursday made a decision to this effect, to be implemented from June 1.

Likewise, regular scheduled flights to India too will resume. Currently, two weekly flights to and from India have been allowed to operate under the air-bubble arrangement.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the flights in destinations with higher passenger flow are being operated in a bid to avoid pressures corresponding to chartered flights.

'The measure has also been taken in a bid to address various financial and management related irregularities arising out of the situation wherein only a limited chartered flights are allowed operations,' said the Civil Aviation Ministry.

All passengers coming from these destinations, however, have to provide their negative PCR test report obtained within 72 hours before departure.

Likewise, passengers entering Nepal after receiving a complete dose Covid-19 vaccine would be allowed to stay in the home quarantine for ten days. The same quarantine rule applies to those with negative report.

However, in case of travels that have received only one dose of vaccine and have Covid-19 negative report obtained within 72 hours of departure, government has designated specific hotels in Kathmandu where they will have to quarantine themselves for three days at their own expenses.

Furthermore, those that have not received any vaccine, with a negative report will have to quarantine themselves in aforementioned designated hotels for ten days.

Operation of international and domestic flights, other than chartered ones, in the country have been shut since May 6 midnight, following the advent of second wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.