Orient Thai flies in Nepali sky

Orient Thai flies in Nepali sky
eKantipur, 29-Dec-07
POST REPORT

Orient Thai Airlines, a Thai budget airline company, began thrice-a-week flights between Bangkok and Kathmandu from Saturday, becoming the ninth airline to fly in Nepal's sky in the last 14 months.

The number of airlines offering services to Nepal has doubled during this period, while several more added frequency.

"The flights are operated with 170-seater MD-82 aircraft," said Ajay Simha of Orient Asia International, the general sales agent of Orient Thai in Nepal. "The response is very good. We are targeting corporate and religious tourists from Thailand headed for birthplace of Gautam Buddha."

UAE-based RAK Airways has also plan to commence direct services between Ras Al Khaimah and Kathmandu. It is awaiting Nepal government's green light to operate ten flights a week.

Four more airlines including Air Arabia, Etihad Airways, Thai Airways, and Qatar Airways are planning to increase their frequencies, wooed by soaring flow of travelers to Nepal.

With peace returning to Nepal, vacationers are flocking in and foreign airlines are flying high.

The rising number of domestic travelers and the continuing problems with the national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), are further incentives for world carriers to fly to Nepal.

Notwithstanding the

growing number of air connections, a shortage of seats continues to bedevil the tourism industry.

At a time when foreign airlines are merrily operating packed flights to Nepal, NAC has virtually disappeared from international skies. Nearly two weeks ago it suspended all its international flights till December 31 after its only operating Boeing flew off to Brunei for routine maintenance.