Himalaya Airlines plans to expand its wings to Myanmar and Malaysia by the second week of February after purchasing one other all-new Airbus 320. The carrier expects so as to add the second jet to its fleet by the top of January.
The Nepal-China joint airline will fly twice every week to Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, from February 24. The Kathmandu-Yangon-Kathmandu flight fare starts from Rs 29,600 and the Yangon-Kathmandu-Yangon flight fare starts from $320.
Nepal signed an air services agreement with Myanmar in April 2006. Previously, Union of Burma Airways operated flights between Yangon and Kathmandu.
According to government statistics, Myanmar is amongst Nepal’s seven major tourism markets. Last 12 months, 25,769 tourists from Myanmar arrived in Nepal, most of whom entered the country by land. Of these, 15,284 visited Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha.
Photo: Himalaya Airlines (Nepal Aviation)
Similarly, Himalaya announced the commencement of 5 weekly flights on the Kathmandu-Kuala Lumpur segment on February 10. With the entry of Himalaya, the connection will probably be operated directly by five carriers. Air Asia X, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air and Nepal Airlines currently operate on the Kathmandu to Kuala Lumpur route. According to Himalaya, the round trip fare starts from Rs 25,375. It has appointed Carnival Travel and My Golden Lion Aviation as its General Sales Agents (GSA) for Malaysia and Myanmar respectively.
“The opening of the new routes is part of Himalaya’s commitment to directly connect Nepal with Asia-Pacific countries and increase tourism and trade opportunities,” said Vijay Shrestha, vice-president of administration, Himalaya. The carrier currently operates flights to Doha and Colombo.
Himalaya took delivery of the primary Airbus A320 in March last 12 months, and one other Airbus A320 will probably be added to the fleet at the top of January. The recent Airbus with the Nepalese call sign 9N-ALV has 158 seats, including eight in business class.
By the top of this 12 months, the carrier plans so as to add two more aircraft to its offer. “We are excited to welcome our second aircraft which will help strengthen Nepal’s air connections with the international network,” Shrestha said.
Initially, the corporate plans to attach various cities in Asia and the Middle East. It expects to accumulate 15 Airbus aircraft, including long-haul A330 wide-body aircraft, to expand operations to Japan, Korea, Europe, Australia and the Americas over the following five years.
Himalayan Infrastructure Fund Aviation Investment and Yeti World Investment hold 51 percent of the corporate, while Tibet Airlines holds the remainder. According to statistics from Tribhuvan International Airport, Himalaya Airlines carried 17,604 passengers in the primary nine months of 2016.
Published: 18/01/2017 09:36 in http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/
