November 3: Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China joint venture airline operating internationally, is gearing up to meet the demand for travelers to and from China this winter, by introducing its latest flights from Kathmandu to Beijing.

The airline which launched its maiden flight between Kathmandu and Beijing on October 27, establishing the historical direct connectivity between the capital cities of the two countries, has announced thrice weekly flight schedule.

The new flight, according to the airliner company, is the latest move in Himalaya Airlines’ business strategy of network expansion to boost Nepal’s connectivity with China, which is an important trade partner for Nepal besides being the second largest market for tourists in Nepal.

In recent years, the demand for seats has grown exponentially amongst both business and leisure passengers, not only increasing tourism traffic and revenue but also promoting vital trade agreements between the two countries, Himalaya Airlines said in a statement.

“This growth in Airlines’ network follows the revised Air Services Agreement between the Government of Nepal and China in July 2019,which opened up five new points in China for the Nepali airline companies for 2019 and three more for the year 2020,” the statement said.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation YogeshBhattarai, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi, along with high ranking officials from CAANand TIA were present at the pre-departure function of the inaugural flight at the Radisson Airport Restaurant.

Minister Bhattarai congratulated Himalaya Airlines for this important connectivity with China which will contribute to the targeted tourist arrivals of 500,000 Chinese travellers for VNY 2020.

Wishing for the successful operation of this direct connectivity, Chinese Ambassador Hou stated, “Nepal is an important international tourist destination and among the South Asian countries it is also the first choice to travel for Chinese tourists.”

The inaugural flight departed from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on October 27 at 08:30 hours and touched down at Beijing’s Daxing International Airport (PKX) at 16:10 hours. The return flight from Beijing took place on the same day at 17:40 hours and arrived in Kathmandu at 21:45 hours.

The airline operates a fleet of three A320 Airbus with its scheduled service to Doha Abu Dhabi, Dammam and Dhaka. In addition, the airline has already announced its plan to increase its fleet with introduction of two A319 aircraft by the end of 2019/beginning of 2020. With this service, Himalaya Airlines has become the only Nepali airline to operate direct flights between the capitals of both the countries.