KATHMANDU: Nepal-India flight services that were suspended for the past nine months due to COVID-19 restrictions, resumed under an air bubble arrangement, 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. The carrier is scheduled to return to Kathmandu today.

According to the Nepal Airlines Corporation, the aircraft has flown to New Delhi carrying 135 passengers in economy class and six passengers in business class.

NAC Spokesperson Karishma Shrestha said that the occupancy of first flight that resumed after nine months is very encouraging and two flights are expected to take off to New Delhi every day, like in previous days.

''Resumption of flights to two other destinations in India are expected to operate too, soon," Shreshta added.

Regular flights along Kathmandu-New Delhi route resumed after governments of both countries decided to resume it under 'Transport Bubble Mechanism’.

After the flights were suspended on March 23, the government had resumed international flights from September 1.

However, flights to three Indian destinations — New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore — were not operated due to high infection rate in India. The NAC has been operating international flights at nine destinations of seven countries including three in India.

The NAC has two wide-body aircraft and two narrow-body aircrafts for international flights.