(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The number of flights from Oman to Nepal is set to go up with both countries reviewing the existing Air Services Agreement (ASA). It is expected that the frequency of flights between Muscat and Kathmandu will increase from the current seven to 21 a week after the ASA is renewed.
Usama Karim al Haremi, senior manager, corporate communications and media, Oman Air in response to a Muscat Daily query, confirmed the news.
He said, ''There is an ongoing communication between the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) and the Nepalese Civil Aviation Authority to review the ASA between the two countries. The meeting is to discuss all aspects of air services cooperation including capacity and frequencies.
Though Nepal and Oman signed the ASA in 1997, air service between the two countries was established only in 2010 with four flights a week.
According to Nepalese government officials, Oman approached Nepal to revise the agreement as the existing ASA allowed operation of only seven flights a week between the two countries.
''The process to review ASA with Oman has begun. We will sign the new agreement by the end of July,'' Pramod Nepal, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, was quoted by the Nepalese media.
Oman Air currently operates daily flights between Kathmandu and Muscat, but no Nepali carrier flies on the route.
''Oman Air is preparing to operate three flights a day on the route,'' Nepal said, adding that Oman has forwarded a proposal to operate 21 flights in a week. The need for additional flights has been felt for some time now with a rise in the number of Nepali migrant workers to Oman.
An official from the Nepalese Embassy in Muscat said that there are about 15,000 Nepalese in the sultanate.
''We have seen that the daily Oman Air flight from Muscat is usually packed as it not just Nepalese based in Oman who board it. It also serves various other cities in the region like Doha and Manama with a connecting flight to Muscat enroute Kathmandu.
Hopefully, the new agreement will result in more flights and also pave the way for our national carrier to start service to Muscat some day.''
D B Chettri, president of the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Oman said, that it was the need of the hour to increase the number of flights from Muscat. ''With rise in the number of tourists from Oman visiting Nepal and increase of migrant workers from our home country to the region, flight frequency was an issu
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.