Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 11:

Air Nepal International, a private airliner, is set to fly international to Doha, Dubai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur from July end. Till date state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines Corp (RNAC) had the monopoly on these routes.

Air Nepal, not only eyes these sector but also plans to fly to Indian metros.

Indian tourist can hope to get further pampered while flying to Nepal with this new airline starting its flights between Kathmandu and Indian metros by the year-end.

Air Nepal, which kicks off operations from July 24, is waiting to launch flights to Bangalore and Mumbai in November.

Only two national airlines, Indian Airlines and RNAC, currently, operate direct flights to the two cities from Kathmandu.

Air Nepal received its licence from the authorities seven years ago but waited for the economic scenario in the country to improve.

After obtaining the air operating certificate last year, it acquired a 245-seater Boeing 767 and will begin its first flights to four destinations — Doha, Dubai, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur from July 24.

Initially, it will run three weekly flights to the first three cities, and two flights a week to Kuala Lumpur. “By October we will complete the deal to buy our second aircraft, a Boeing 757, and by November we will be ready to start flights to India,” Pradeep Pandey, chief executive officer of Air Nepal International, said.

The airline will later cover two more Indian cities, Kolkata and New Delhi. Another domestic carrier — Cosmic Air — has recently started flights to Kolkata and Varanasi.

A third airline — Air Shangrila — owned by Narayan Singh Pun, also holds the licence to start international flights. However, its operation still seems far fetched.

Pandey said Air Nepal International wouldn’t start a price war, “If you pay Rs 100 less, ultimately you cause suffering worth Rs 1,000. In the log run it affects sustainability and then reliability.”

Cosmic Air, which went international this year, slashed prices heavily and started price war in the Nepali aviation industry.

Indian tourists account for 61 per cent of the market share of Nepali tourism industry. This figure is up by five percent from last year, states the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).

The number of visitors to Nepal by air increased by one per cent in June in comparison to the same month last year.