I was about to take the first-ever flight in my life and was told that the government carrier would have to be at the bottom of my choice. In fact, in a country where privatized entities are prioritized and where studying at private English boarding schools is considered a safer option to build the children’s career, there was no room for me to be baffled by the humble suggestions from all quarters.

I, however, became insouciant to all those remarks and went ahead with Nepal Airlines. Whatever I was forced to envisage was falsified once I stepped into the aircraft, whereby I was greeted with endearing smiles of the air-hostesses. The seats were comfy, and the interiors of the airplane were chic. As we began to take off from Dhangadhi, the terrain below and all its elements began to look smaller and due to periodic adjustments in elevations we had a couple of jolts here and there. In between the little more than an hour flight, the elegant air-hostesses presented us with beverages and salted peanuts. They were mindful about any inconvenience to the passengers and were putting first-timers at ease by providing cotton, chocolates, newspapers and water.

Flying at an elevation of around 15000 feet, trepidation becomes a natural phenomenon. But if we gazed through safety records of numerous modes of transportation world-wide, the aviation industry remains undoubtedly the safest means of travel globally.

While on my flight, I felt like being on the International Space Station, and got reminded of actress Sandra Bullock from Gravity - a phenomenal space movie of the recent times. Just like the deep space poses numerous challenges to the human body, the higher elevation within earth’s atmosphere requires our body to adapt through external means of acclimatization. This includes sufficiency of oxygen at such an altitude of flight, where air becomes relatively thin.

During the final leg of the journey, we were radioed in that touch-down at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu was due to happen and we got to reaffirm that our seat belts were properly placed upon our waist.

And the moment finally arrived. From observing match-boxed shaped houses and fields to flying at higher proximity of high-rise buildings, it was indeed an exhilarating experience flying with the national flag-bearer. If only the Nepal Airlines resolved its managerial and administrative issues will undoubtedly make this national, budget airlines their primal choice during domestic and international travels.