Kathmandu. International flights between Nepal and India are set to resume after a gap of nine months, which was halted due to the ongoing pandemic. Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla emphasized upon the people-to-people contact during his visit to Nepal last month including the need to commence an air bubble between the two countries.

India has officially approved the proposal for the resumption of flights. According to an article in the Times of India, the Nepali Tourism Ministry had earlier brought forth the air bubble arrangement proposed by India in the Cabinet meeting twice, but the concept was refused by PM Oli and others in the government, as Nepal and India were facing a stalemate regarding the border issues.

However, things have bettered after Indian foreign secretary Shringla agreed to resolve the issues through various bilateral mechanisms. He has assured once the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out, Nepal will be a top priority of India.

India had sent a proposal to Nepal on Sep 23 for air bubble travel agreement and Nepal had sent the confirmation a week and half ago.  The Indian side on Thursday has agreed to resume flights from Dec 17.

According to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), in the initial phase, only one airline from each country will operate a single flight daily. Nepal Airlines form Nepal and Air India from India will operate in the beginning, as per the authority.

It is informed that the air bubble arrangement between Nepal and India will follow all medical protocols, including a RT-PCR test report of 72 hours prior to the travel.

India currently has air bubble arrangements with 22 countries, including the US, the UK, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Tanzania, the Netherlands, the Maldives, Japan and Bangladesh.