Kathmandu,Feb 16. after a long gap. The Airlines first took off to Dubai International Airport on April 28, 2017 connecting with Abu Dhabi via free shuttlebus for onwards passengers. However with increased passenger traffic direct flight to Abu Dhabi International Airport was initiated from March 31, 2019 instead of Dubai.
After the pandemic, UAE has opened up for the visitors with COVID-19 safety protocols resulting into substantial increase in passenger flow both ways on KTM-DXB-KTM sector. Himalaya has thus reconnected with Dubai International Airport arriving at Terminal 2 with its thrice weekly service. Kathmandu – Dubai flights are scheduled to fly every Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday and will depart from Dubai on every Monday, Tuesday & Thursday.
The first resumption flight H9 565 departed from Tribhuwan International Airport at 22:36 hours (local time) and touched down at Dubai International Airport – Terminal 2 (DXB) at 01:40 hours (local time). The return flight H9 566, from Dubai departed at 04:10 hours (local time) the next day and landed in Kathmandu at 09:25 hours (local time).
Mr. Zhou Enyong – President, Himalaya Airlines handed over the boarding passes to first three passengers along with a special souvenir kit at the check-in counter. Marking the special occasion, all passengers on both outbound and inbound flights received a special travel amenity kit on board.
“With all the constraints of COVID-19 pandemic, resuming flight operations to our scheduled destinations has been indeed challenging for us. However, with the easing of travel ban and quarantine restrictions etc., we are all geared up to rebuild our network with UAE, complying with mandatory health protocols of civil aviation authorities and government agencies. Post pandemic Dubai has surfaced with a big market potential not only with sizable resident Nepalese diaspora movement but also with the passenger movement due to upcoming Dubai Expo 2021. We are happy to reestablish the connectivity and hope to serve our passengers with increased frequency.” remarked Mr. Zhou Enyong.
