Nepal Airlines is planning to start a direct connection with just a one-stop flight between Sydney and Kathmandu.
Nepal Airlines deputy spokesperson Ganesh Kumar Ghimire told The Kathmandu Post that the airline has officially secured a slot from the Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport and is now awaiting government approval.
“We are applying for landing permits and making other necessary preparations to meet the deadline.”
Ghimire added that the actual start date remains subject to approval by the Australian regulatory body the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
“The proposed June 21 flight, however, will depend on the issuance of the landing permits by the Australian government, even though we have secured the slots from the airport authority in Sydney.”
According to reports, Nepal Airlines’ Kathmandu-Sydney flights will initially run twice a week.
These flights will depart Kathmandu on Thursdays and Sundays, with the 13½ trek broken by a stopover in Singapore.
Ghimire said:
“In the first phase, we have decided to do a technical landing at Singapore, only for refuelling.”
Australian Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts who was in Nepal recently is hopeful that the proposed flights would bring the two countries closer and boost bilateral trade and tourism.
“There is an enormous demand for direct flights between Kathmandu and Sydney. Once established, I am certain that there would be no shortage of our people to buy tickets.”
While more than 130,000 Nepalis live in Australia which includes 60,000 students, Nepal caters to almost 40,000 Australian tourists.
The one-way journey from Kathmandu to Sydney would cover 9,816 km and Nepal Airlines will use two Airbus A330s which have 18 seats in business class and 256 seats in economy class.