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.

Finland proposes ASA with Nepal

Finland has proposed signing a bilateral air service agreement (ASA) with Nepal.
The Finnair – the national flag carrier and largest airline of Finland that is headquartered in Vantaa on the premises of Helsinki Airport – has shown interest in operating direct flights to Kathmandu. A flight between Kathmandu and Helsinki is estimated to take around nine hours.
The government has received a formal proposal from the Finnish government to sign an ASA some three weeks ago, following talks with Finnair officials and the Finnish ambassador to Nepal. “Though it is in initial phase, we have been working on the proposal accordingly,” informed the Tourism Ministry.
The agreement is expected to be completed by July, after the ASA document is prepared and both the countries approve it.
Since, the number of Nepalis including students living in the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – is growing, though the Nepali airlines have not been able to fly to neither Europe nor Nordic countries as the European Commission has imposed ban on all airlines from Nepal to fly on the European sky in December 2013. The European Commission (EC) – the 28-nation bloc – had asked European operators and travel agents to inform European travellers who will have a right to reimbursement if they have booked a seat on a Nepali carrier as part of a journey to Nepal and decide not to use it. Nepal has been removed from the air safety list of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) but the European Commission has continued its ban on all Nepali airlines.
Nepal has signed ASA with 39 countries since 1963. Currently, 28 international airlines fly to Nepal from various destinations.