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Nepal Airlines to begin flights from Bangalore

Our Bureau

BANGALORE, Feb. 25

TAKING advantage of the suspension of the Indian Airlines services to Kathmandu since its plane hijack to Kandahar and eying the growing demand from the South for direct connection, the Royal Nepal Airlines (RNA) has chosen Bangalore as its new gateway f rom India. It has firmed up plans to operate its inaugural flight from Bangalore on March 26.

The airline, already operates two daily direct services from Delhi and twice and thrice a week services from Mumbai and Calcutta respectively. The Bangalore-Kathmandu flight will be operated twice a week.

Under the bilateral agreement between India and Nepal, passenger capacity of 6,000 on each direction had been fixed for airlines operating from India. This was shared by Indian Airlines and RNA with a small portion being ferried by short haul service ope rated by small Nepalese airlines from Lucknow and Patna.

Passengers flying to Nepal from the South had to take the flight only from these destinations. With the new service from Bangalore, tourists and businessmen from this region can save considerably their time and even cost to fly to Nepal.

According to travel agency industry sources, the new flight from Bangalore will take about two hours to reach Kathmandu and tentative return fare for the economy class in the initial run is understood to be fixed at Rs. 10,000 for the economy class.

The sources said RNA service will be the first international carrier to operate a direct service from Bangalore for a foreign destination. Indian Airlines and Air India, the national carriers, are running services to the Gulf and Singapore respectively.

The sources said that the traffic potential to Nepal from South was very high. Several multinational companies and information technology companies are expected to provide regular business to the airline with many of expatriate employees taking to advent ure tourism and leisure trips to chill out in the country famous for its casinos and scenic beauty.

Tourists from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka would have easy access to Kathmandu at a reasonable fare to visit the pilgrim centers and the tourist spots in that country.