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Kathmandu welcomes three new airlines

Korean Air's inaugural flight from Seoul to Kathmandu touched down at Tribhuvan International Airport on November 13. The 301-seater Boeing 777 flew in with 261 Korean tourists. The airline will fly once a week on the Seoul-Kathmandu-Seoul sector on Mondays.

Korean Air flies to 90 cities with 400 flights worldwide daily, and, therefore, it expects to provide easy access to tourists coming to Nepal from Japan, Europe and the United States. Universal Travels and Tours is the General Sales Agent (GSA) of Korean Air in Nepal.

Korean Air is the third international airline to start flying to Nepal in a month. Earlier, on November 7, Air Arabia began services between Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and Kathmandu. The airline flies four times a week on the Sharjah-Kathmandu-Sharjah sector on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday using Airbus 320 aircraft. Danfe Travel Center is the GSA for Air Arabia in Nepal.

Meanwhile, GMG Bangladesh Airlines, a private Bangladeshi carrier, has also begun services between Dhaka and Kathmandu. The airline flies thrice a week between the two cities. GMG operates MD-82 aircraft, which has a capacity of 153 passengers. This is its second international destination after Kolkata, India. Zenith Travels is the GSA of GMG Bangladesh Airlines in Nepal.


Merger of Air India, Indian Airlines

The proposed merger of Air India and Indian Airlines is under the active consideration of the Indian government, and it has mandated that the merger be tailored so that the salary and status of each employee is protected, and that the integration process be as painless as possible. India's Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel said that the committee constituted by the Air India Board on the merger of the two public airlines has appointed consultants to conduct the initial work relating to pre-merger activities.

Northeastern airports

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will spend about Rs. 125 crores on upgradation and improvement of facilities in India's northeast during the 10th Five Year Plan. The AAI has prepared a detailed project report for construction of a greenfield airport in Sikkim at an estimated cost of Rs. 340 crores. Similarly, sites for construction of greenfield airports able to handle ATR-72 aircraft near Kohima and Itanagar have been identified.

Air China to fly daily during high season

Air China will fly daily on the Kathmandu-Lhasa-Chengdu sector during the high season in 2007, i.e., from July 1-October 29. At a promotional program organized jointly by Air China and the Nepal Tourism Board, Qiao Shuwen, General Manager of the Chinese carrier, said that more flights would be added should the need arise.

The airline will be using Airbus 319 (128 seater), Boeing 757 (196 seater) and Airbus 330 (283 seater) on the route. There will be four flights a week during the normal season (March 29-June 30) and one flight a week in the low season (October 30-March 28).

THAI to Suvarnabhumi

Thai Airways International (THAI) has moved its operational base from Don Muang to Bangkok's new international airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport (photo). Suvarnabhumi Airport, located about 30 km east of Bangkok, officially opened in September, and all domestic and international flights now arrive to and depart from the new airport. It has the world's tallest control tower (132.2 m), and the world's second largest single building and terminal (563,000 sq m).

At least three planes for domestic airlines

New domestic airlines will need to have at least three aircraft, with one of them suitable for flying in the remote areas, according to a new aviation policy endorsed by the Government of Nepal in November.
The new aviation policy tries to woo foreign investment to build a second international airport in Nepal. It allows up to 100% foreign equity in the construction of new airports and related infrastructure. It has also allowed up to 80% foreign ownership in airlines operating international services from Nepal and up to 95% foreign equity in flying schools to train pilots.