New airlines flock to Nepal as tourism booms

New airlines flock to Nepal as tourism booms
eKantipur.com, 11-Aug-2007
By Krishna Regmi

Nepal is fast turning into a hot destination for international airlines while the national flag carrier is reeling under lack of aircraft. Three foreign airlines are on the verge of beginning operations, while five more already operating in Nepal are planning to increase frequency.

Orient Thai Airlines, a Thailand based airline, is preparing to fly between Kathmandu with Bangkok from August 19.

Etihad Airlines, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Silk Air, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines have already announced commencement of flights to Kathmandu from October.

"We have received an application from Orient Thai asking schedule approval for thrice-a-week flights on the Kathmandu-Bangkok route from August 19," said an official at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). The airline will soon get the green signal.

With 140-seater Airbus 320 aircraft, Silk Air is scheduled to operate thrice-a-week flights on the Kathmandu-Singapore route. Etihad will operate four-days-a-week flights on the Kathmandu-Abu Dhabi sector.

Etihad will use Airbus A330-200 configured to carry 262 passengers, with 22 business and 240 economy class seats.

Thai Airlines, Qatar Airways, China Southern, Air Arabia, and Korean Air are planning to increase flight frequency to Nepal.

With robust growth in tourist arrivals to Nepal and more Nepalis traveling abroad, foreign airlines are jockeying to tap this market.

Tourist arrivals grew by a staggering 35.6 percent to 193,211 in the first seven months this year. Nepalis working abroad are also on a steady rise, with around 200,000 leaving for foreign employment last year alone. A decade ago only around 3,000 Nepalis left for jobs abroad.

Thai Airways plans to add three flights a week and is awaiting the green signal from the Nepali authorities. Qatar Airways has been requesting the government to allow it to run seven extra flights per week between Doha and Kathmandu. Korean Air also has requested the CAAN to let it to operate an additional flight. Air Arabia, which runs four flights a week on the Sharjah-Kathmandu sector, is seeking a green signal to operate four additional flights.

China Southern is also mulling a flight increment on the Guangzhou-Kathmandu route. "We are going to use bigger aircraft, Boeing-757 from September end, instead of current 128-seater aircraft. Then, we will take a decision whether to add a flight or two, depending on the response," said Deepak Bhatt, chairman of Gorkha Travels, general sales agent of the airline in Nepal.

Sri Lankan Airlines has also shown interest to fly to Nepal since the last year but the Nepal government is yet to respond.

Operation of new airlines and increment in frequency of flights have come as good news for the tourism industry at a time when all airlines flying to Nepal are packed, causing a number of tourists to cancel their travel plans.

Over the year, four airlines-- Bangladesh, Air Arabia, Korean Air, and China Southern-- began flights to Nepal.