Nepal resumes direct flights to Lanka

Himalaya Airlines operates maiden commercial flight to Colombo:

Himalaya Airlines operated its maiden commercial flight from Katmandu to Colombo on April 12, to mark the Sri Lanka- Nepal New Year.

The Airbus 320-214 of Himalaya Airlines took off from Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu at 9:05 am on April 12 and reached Colombo at 12:30 pm.The flight intends to help promote tourism between the two countries, linked by socio-cultural and religious links, and enhance people-to-people contact, said a spokesperson for the Sri Lankan Mission in Katmandu.

The frequency of the commercial flights between the two destinations will be determined by the interest generated for the service on offer.

The airline's first commercial flight was jointly inaugurated by the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Nepal W.M. Senevirathna, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Wu Chuntai and Cheng Yiru, Chairman of Tibet Airlines.

Himalaya Airlines received its first aircraft, an Airbus 320-214 on March 9 and over the next five years hopes to receive 15 Airbuses that will operate from Katmandu to various Asian cities.

Royal Nepal Airlines operated weekly direct flights to Colombo. The service was suspended during the conflict in Sri Lanka.

Vice President of the Himalaya Airlines Vijay Shrestha, said it was a momentous occasion to relink the two nations by air.Sri Lanka officially applied for clearance to resume flights to Katmandu in 2015. In March 2015, the Tourism Ministry authorised Mihin Lanka, a budget carrier, to operate weekly flights. The plan had to be shelved due to Nepal being hit by a devastating earthquake in 2015.

Sri Lanka is the fourth largest tourist source market for Nepal, after India, China and the US. Around 37,546 Sri Lankans visited Nepal in 2014.