Kathmandu: Despite having bilateral air service agreements with 42 countries, Nepal currently operates international flights to just 15 of them, highlighting a significant gap between diplomatic aviation frameworks and actual air connectivity.
At present, a total of 30 international flights, including those operated by Nepali carriers, arrive in Nepal, serving nearly 400,000 passengers each month. On average, around 12,000 passengers use Nepal’s international air services daily, reflecting steady demand despite limited route coverage.
Only three Nepali airlines are involved in international operations, alongside 27 foreign carriers that provide regular services to Nepal. However, the limited fleet size of domestic airlines has weakened their international reach. Nepal Airlines manages flights to just nine countries, while Himalaya Airlines serves seven, with significant overlap in their destinations.
Nepal Airlines currently operates flights to 11 destinations across nine countries, with a total of 79 weekly flights. Himalaya Airlines flies to eight destinations in seven countries, while Buddha Air operates international services only to two Indian cities. Overall, Nepal’s international air connectivity extends to just 17 destinations in 11 countries.
Nepal Airlines’ international routes include Guangzhou in China; Doha in Qatar; Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia; Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; Hong Kong; New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru in India; Bangkok in Thailand; Dammam in Saudi Arabia; and Narita in Japan. Four of these destinations are shared with Himalaya Airlines.
Buddha Air operates flights to Kolkata and Varanasi in India. The airline flies to Kolkata four times a week—on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays—while flights to Varanasi operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Himalaya Airlines, the only private airline in Nepal operating regular international services, flies to Dhaka in Bangladesh; Lhasa in China; Kuwait; Kuala Lumpur; Doha; Dubai; and the Saudi cities of Dammam and Riyadh. In comparison to Nepal Airlines, Himalaya serves additional destinations such as Riyadh, Kuwait, Lhasa, and Dhaka.
Although Buddha Air is Nepal’s leading private carrier domestically, its international presence remains limited. It operates international flights only to India using ATR-72 aircraft that are primarily designed for short-haul regional services.
A wide range of foreign airlines operate flights to Nepal. From India, Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, and SpiceJet provide services. Malaysia is connected through Batik Air and Malaysia Airlines, while the UAE is served by Air Arabia, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, and flydubai.
Qatar Airways connects Nepal with Doha, Singapore Airlines operates from Singapore, Korean Air flies from South Korea, and Turkish Airlines connects Nepal with Turkey. From Kuwait, Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways operate services, while Biman Bangladesh connects from Bangladesh. China is linked through Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, and Sichuan Airlines.
Other international airlines serving Nepal include Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong, Druk Air and Tashi Air from Bhutan, and Thai AirAsia, Thai Airways, and Thai Lion Air from Thailand, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
Despite existing air service agreements, there are currently no flights between Nepal and countries such as Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brunei, Cambodia, Croatia, Egypt, France, and Germany. Nepal is also unable to operate flights to these countries, leaving the agreements inactive in practice.
Several other countries with which Nepal has air service agreements remain disconnected by air. These include Israel, Italy, Jordan, Luxembourg, Macau, the Maldives, Myanmar, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam. Although Bahrain, Macau, Oman, and Pakistan previously operated flights to Nepal, services from these countries have since been suspended.
According to Mukesh Dangol, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, an air service agreement does not legally obligate either country to operate flights. Airlines choose routes based on commercial viability and operational convenience rather than diplomatic arrangements.
Dangol explained that while air service agreements make it easier to launch flights when required, actual operations depend on market demand and airline readiness. Similarly, if Nepal expands its aircraft capacity in the future, existing agreements would allow it to start services more smoothly.
The tourism ministry is currently preparing to review air service agreements with New Zealand and Kuwait, and is engaging with other countries where mutual interest exists. Dangol noted that Tanzania and the United States have expressed interest in signing new air service agreements with Nepal, although no formal progress has been made so far.
In recent agreements and reviews, Nepal has begun prioritizing international airports outside Kathmandu, aiming to facilitate future operations from regional hubs and improve passenger convenience. Bhairahawa and Pokhara international airports have increasingly been included in these negotiations.
However, foreign airlines remain heavily Kathmandu-centric. Due to limited market development and concerns over profitability, most international carriers continue to prioritize Tribhuvan International Airport, showing little interest in operating flights from other airports despite government efforts to decentralize international aviation services.
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