Himal Press 
The Airbus A319 aircraft of Himalaya Airlines is given a customary water cannon salute as it lands at Pokhara International Airport on Monday. Himalaya has started weekly flight service between Pokhara and Lhasa. Photo: Himalayan Airlines
POKHARA: Himalaya Airlines inaugurated its scheduled Pokhara-Lhasa flight on Monday – the first scheduled international flight service from Pokhara International Airport.
The inaugural flight operated by an Airbus A319 aircraft carrying 107 passengers (32 Chinese and 75 Nepali nationals) landed at Pokhara International Airport at 1:55 pm on Monday.
This marks Pokhara International Airport’s first scheduled international flight since its inauguration two years ago. The airport had only handled about a dozen international charter flights so far despite being operational since January 2023.
Gandaki Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey, Pokhara Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, Chief District Officer of Kaski Bharat Mani Pandey and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Cheng Song welcomed the passengers amid a special ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Himalaya Airlines Vice President Bijay Shrestha announced the airline will operate weekly flights every Tuesday on the Kathmandu-Lhasa-Pokhara route. The aircraft will leave for Lhasa on Tuesday.
Likewise, Gandaki Chief Minister Pandey assured full cooperation from the provincial government to support regular flight operations. Similarly, Minister of State for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Arun Kumar Chaudhary and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Deputy Director General Chandra Lal Karn expressed optimism that the new route would significantly boost tourism in Pokhara and surrounding areas.
Chinese carrier Sichuan Airlines has also started operating chartered flights between Pokhara and Chengdu from last week. The flight is operated every Tuesday.
The Pokhara-Lhasa flight is expected to facilitate trade and tourism between Nepal and Tibet Autonomous Region of China.
