Thai AirAsia, an investment of the AirAsia Group, has received approval from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate flights to and from Nepal. Starting from September, Thai AirAsia will be permitted to fly from Bangkok to Bhairahawa four days a week and to Kathmandu three days a week.
According to Gyanendra Bhul, the spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority, Thai AirAsia had requested daily flights to Nepal starting in September. However, due to ongoing upgrades at the Kathmandu airport, which will be closed for 10 hours daily from November 8, the airline will be allowed to operate four flights a week from Bhairahawa.
Thai AirAsia had initially requested daily flights from September 20. However, due to airport capacity issues, only four flights a week from Bhairahawa were approved. Thai AirAsia has been seeking regular flight permissions to Nepal for a long time. The main company, AirAsia, had previously exited Kathmandu without settling outstanding dues.
Thai AirAsia had an outstanding balance of approximately NPR 24 crore, which hindered its return to Nepal until a payment agreement was reached. The airline has been regularly paying installments for the past few months.
Currently, Thai AirAsia operates flights from Bangkok to several Asian countries, including India, Hong Kong, China, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, and Sri Lanka.
The airport, which commenced operations in May 2022, has previously seen flights from Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways, Himalaya Airlines, and Nepal Airlines. While chartered flights have continued, regular flights had not been available for some time.
