Kathmandu, 18 Sep: The government has opened the doors of Nepal’s international airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa to airlines from Saudi Arabia.
Nepal and Saudi Arabia signed the final version of their bilateral air services agreement on September 1. According to Jayanarayan Acharya, joint secretary and spokesperson at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the agreement has paved the way for Saudi Arabian airlines to operate flights to Nepal’s newly built Pokhara International Airport and Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa.
“We do not have enough aircraft, but they do,” Acharya said. “If Saudi airlines want to operate flights to these airports, this agreement will now facilitate it.”
Nepal and Saudi Arabia had initially signed a bilateral air services agreement in 1999. Under that agreement, airlines from the two countries were allowed to operate flights equivalent to 5,600 seats per week and 291,200 seats annually.
The ministry expects the final agreement to expand air connectivity between Nepal and Saudi Arabia. It is also expected to support the development of passenger and cargo air services and promote tourism.
In addition, the agreement is expected to create more opportunities for trade and investment while further strengthening economic and people-to-people relations between the two countries.
According to Joint Secretary Acharya, based on established principles and practices of international civil aviation, the agreement will provide the necessary legal and institutional framework for designated airlines of both countries to operate regular air services.
“Relations have been established not only between the governments of Nepal and Saudi Arabia but also at the people-to-people level,” he said. “Thousands of Nepali workers are employed in Saudi Arabia, which makes this agreement important as well.”
Nepal’s newly constructed international airports are ready for operation. However, Nepal has so far been unable to attract international airlines to operate regular services from these airports.
At the same time, Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines, which currently operate international flights from Nepal, do not have sufficient aircraft to expand their services. In this situation, Nepal is seeking to attract flights from more countries and bring in additional tourists, according to Acharya.
At present, however, no Saudi Arabian airline operates direct flights to Nepal. From Nepal, Himalaya Airlines currently operates direct flights from Kathmandu to Dammam and Riyadh. Nepal Airlines operates a direct Kathmandu-Dammam service.
Nepal Has Bilateral Air Services Agreements With 42 Countries
According to data from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the country has so far signed bilateral air services agreements with a total of 42 countries. The Nepal government also has a policy of expanding such agreements.
In recent years, Nepal signed a bilateral air services agreement with Switzerland in 2024, while an air services agreement with Rwanda was signed in 2023.
