For the first time, a commercial charter flight has been operated from Pokhara International Airport to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China. This flight took place on Tuesday, marking the first international commercial charter flight from Pokhara two years after the airport’s inauguration.
The flight was made possible through continuous efforts to establish international operations from Pokhara International Airport. It was initiated by private-sector tourism entrepreneurs under the leadership of the Pokhara Tourism Council, in collaboration with Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, Sichuan Airlines, and the Chinese Association in Nepal.
A delegation of 126 members, including Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, Pokhara Tourism Council Chairman Tara Nath Pahari, Nepal Tourism Board Gandaki Province Chief Maniraj Lamichhane, and Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai, Coordinator of Pokhara Visit Year 2025 Execution Committee, traveled to Chengdu on this flight to promote tourism. The Nepali delegation was warmly welcomed at Chengdu Airport by Nepal’s Consul General to China, Suresh Raut, high-ranking Sichuan provincial officials, and representatives from Sichuan Airlines.
On this occasion, Mayor Acharya highlighted that despite Pokhara International Airport’s inauguration on January 1, 2023, international flights had not commenced until now. He credited the continuous efforts of Pokhara Metropolitan City and the Pokhara Tourism Council for making this first commercial charter flight possible.
He also mentioned discussions between Nepali and Chinese tourism entrepreneurs, facilitated by the Chinese Embassy, regarding B2B (business-to-business) collaborations to boost tourism. Mayor Acharya further stated that 1,250 Chinese tourists are set to visit Pokhara from Chengdu via multiple flights and emphasized the efforts to send Nepali tourists to China in return.
