Monday, June 17, 2019

Finnair proposes Kathmandu-Helsinki direct flight

The national flag carrier of Finland – Finnair – has proposed to launch direct flights between Kathmandu and Helsinki. Finnair forwarded the proposal to Nepal through the Embassy of Finland in Kathmandu.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), Finnair’s proposal was forwarded by the Finnish Embassy in Kathmandu. “The government of Finland has submitted a proposal at the ministry,” the ministry confirmed, adding that the ministry is doing its homework.
The ministry has forwarded the Finnish proposal to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and also sought suggestions from Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC).
“Once the homework is completed, CAAN and NAC will finalise the documentation,” according to the ministry that will forward the final documents to the cabinet for the approval. “The cabinet may approve the proposal after the evaluation.”
After the cabinet’s approval, the ministry will forward it to the Finnish government.
Currently, passengers travelling between Nepal and Europe have been using Turkish Airlines – from Kathmandu to Istanbul of Turkey – or Gulf airlines, apart from India as a transit. But the Finnair has proposed to directly connect Kathmandu – without any transit – with Helsinki. Once the Finnair starts flights to Nepal, the European Union (EU) will also be pressurised to delist Nepal from its safety list. Nepali airline companies are, currently, banned from the European sky – due to a EU safety list – since last six years.
The direct flight from Kathmandu to Europe is also expected to help bring more tourists to Nepal during Visit Nepal 2020.

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