KATHMANDU, Jun 25 (NNN-XINHUA) – The H9665 flight, operated by Himalaya Airlines, took off from Kathmandu yesterday morning and landed in Beijing about four hours later, marking the resumption of direct flights between the Nepali and Chinese capitals, after a hiatus of three years.
The return H9666 flight came back to Kathmandu on the same day, as the Kathmandu-based airline is operating a round trip every Saturday for now.
An Yongsheng, the airline’s general manager of the China Office, stressed the significance of the resumption. “The resumed flights will promote trade, tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries.”
The Himalaya Airlines, a Nepal-China joint venture, established in Aug, 2014, started Kathmandu-Beijing flights in late Oct, 2019. The flights were suspended for three years following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The airline is set to resume or open new routes to China, including round-trip flights from Kathmandu to Shanghai and Qingdao.