Himalaya touches down in Colombo
Himalaya Airlines began flights to Colombo from yesterday. This is
the first time in 30 years that a Nepali is airline is flying to
Colombo.
The airline announced on Tuesday that it would be launching scheduled
commercial flights between Kathmandu and Colombo on October 1,
re-establishing direct air links with Sri Lanka after more than three
decades.
The newly established carrier, a China-Nepal joint venture, will
operate three weekly flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using
158-seater Airbus A320 aircraft, according to the Kathmandu Post.
The flight will depart from Tribhuvan International Airport in
Kathmandu at 11:30 am and land at Bandaranaike International Airport in
Colombo at 15:15 pm local time. The return flight will leave at 16:15 pm
local time and arrive in Kathmandu at 8.15 p.m. Himalaya Airlines had
received permission to operate charter flights to the island country
last April. The planned direct service is the first time that scheduled
commercial airlines have been allowed to connect Colombo since the
1980s.
"We reviewed the passenger traffic on the route and saw that it has
potential two-way traffic demand," said Vijay Shrestha, vice-president
administration, of Himalaya Airlines. "Direct air connectivity will help
both countries to promote trade and tourism."
Sri Lanka is the third largest tourist source market for Nepal after
India and China. Despite the earthquakes and trade embargo last year,
arrivals from Sri Lanka rose significantly to 44,367. In the previous
year, 37,546 Sri Lankans visited Nepal. Only 2.5 percent of the arrivals
or 1,089 visitors came by air, a trend attributed to lack of direct
flights between Nepal and Sri Lanka. According to government statistics,
97.5 percent of the Sri Lankan visitors entered Nepal overland from
Bhairahawa to visit Buddhist sites in nearby Lumbini. |