The government is preparing to ink air services agreement with additional four countries.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has forwarded the process of expanding air services agreement with four more countries, including the United States.
Nepal is preparing to sign air services agreement with Indonesia, Switzerland, Rwanda and the US.
The government began the process of signing air services agreement with the US after US officials visited here to inspect Nepal's air security in the third week of October.
The Ambassador of Rwanda to Nepal also proposed establishing direct air services between the two countries with the MoCTCA a year ago.
The government decided to proceed with the air services agreement with the US and Switzerland in the last week of October.
In the absence of direct flights between Nepal and countries from where more tourists arrive here, Nepal-bound travelers ought to route through third countries.
In view of this, the government is preparing to expand air services agreements with more countries to ease travel to Nepal by making direct flights to here possible.
After Nepal signs air agreement with the US, United Airlines, American Airlines, Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines are able to fly directly between the two countries.
A MoCTCA official told Nepalkhabar that the process of signing air services agreement with four countries and revising existing agreement with two countries is underway.
The official added the Ministry was preparing to revise air agreements with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to MoCTCA, air services agreement is being revised so that flights can be made from Pokhara and Bhairahawa airports.
"An agreement is being signed with four countries for diplomatic and connectivity expansion," the official said, adding, "Air agreement with Kuwait and UAE is being revised to make possible international flights to and from Bhairawa and Pokhara airports."
The approval of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Law is mandatory to forward air services agreement to the Cabinet. Indonesia's Ministry of Finance and Law have already given green signal for the same. Hence, a proposal in this regard has been prepared to submit before the Council of Ministers.
Legal procedures are being carried out to take the proposals to the Cabinet since Switzerland and Rwanda have also forwarded their suggestions.
"The process of inking air agreement with America is in preliminary stage. After receiving suggestions from the Finance Ministry and Law Ministry, the proposal will reach the Council of Ministers," he said, adding, "Proposals to revise air agreement came from Kuwait and the UAE, therefore, it would be done in line with the necessary procedures."
Nepal has already signed bilateral air services agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 40 different countries since 1963. Nepal adopted a liberal sky policy in 1992 since then it is gradually pursuing an open sky policy in accordance to the civil aviation policy 2006.
.
