Chengdu-Pokhara commercial charter flight started, 128 Chinese tourists came aboard Sichuan Air
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Tourism professionals have shown activity for regular international flights at Pokhara International Airport. On the initiative of Pokhara Tourism Council, an umbrella organization of tourism professionals, China's Sichuan Airlines has started a regular commercial charter flight between Chengdu and Pokhara from Tuesday.
On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Nepal-China diplomatic relations, an Airbus A319 aircraft landed at Pokhara Airport with 128 passengers from Sichuan province. The ship from Pokhara reached Chengdu with 126 Nepali passengers from Pokhara on Tuesday.
According to Baburam Pandey, executive chairman of the council, Sichuan Airlines has made a 10-week schedule to bring tourists from Sichuan province. 1 thousand 250 Chinese tourists are ready to come from Chengdu to Pokhara. Those tourists will come to Pokhara on one flight a week.
3 flight schedules have been made from Pokhara, including Tuesday. "Sichuan Airlines offered to guarantee 10 flights from Chengdu by undertaking three flights on the way back from Pokhara," he said.
The team going from Pokhara to Chengdu is led by Metropolitan Chief Dhanraj Acharya. The team includes people's representatives, tourism professionals and others. The Nepalese delegation went to China with 'Pokhara-Chhendu Flight Promotion and China (Sichuan) Sales Mission 2025'. The team will participate in commercial and promotional programs with various government and private sector delegations in Chinese cities including Chengdu, Luzhou, Leshan.
Chinese tourists who disembarked at Pokhara International Airport from Chengdu in China's Sichuan Province on a plane of Sichuan Airlines on Tuesday. Photo : Deepak Pariyar/Kantipur
A package of 1 lakh 26 thousand rupees has been made to go to Chengdu for 7 nights and 8 days. The package is applicable for Pokhara-Chengdu two way ship fare and food and accommodation in China. The businessman reached China with the promotional program after paying the amount. The Tourism Board has supported the promotional program "Nepal Evening" to be held in Chengdu on Wednesday and Chongqing on Saturday.
On Tuesday, the Nepali travelers who went to Chengdu will return to Pokhara after a week on the initiative of Pokhara Tourism Council, Metropolitan City, Tourism Board. Chinese passengers who came to Pokhara on Tuesday will go around Pokhara and return to Chengdu on this ship. A team of businessmen will go to Chengdu on the initiative of Pokhara Industry and Commerce Association and Lekhnath Industry and Commerce Association on March 19. On May 3, a team of Pokhara's social associations, public representatives, and businessmen will go to Chengdu.
Pandey said that the one-week sales mission in China will be the longest so far. He believes that this flight will make the air communication between Nepal and China more effective and take tourism promotion, cultural exchange and commercial cooperation to new heights.
The team from China includes government officials from Sichuan Province, representatives of various organizations, and journalists. They were welcomed at Pokhara Airport by Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chan Song, Pokhara Metropolitan Chief Dhanraj Acharya, Civil Aviation Authority Director General Pradeep Adhikari and others. Chinese tourists were welcomed at the airport with luggage. Speaking at the
welcome event, Ambassador Song said that it was a pleasure to see the first regular flight start in Pokhara three months after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli visited China. "The speed (speed) of China is also the speed of Nepal," he said. He said that the year 2025 is special as Nepal-China diplomatic relations have reached 70 years and Pokhara has also announced the year of visit.
Chinese tourists who landed at Pokhara International Airport on Tuesday from Chengdu in Sichuan province of China are being welcomed by Sichuan Airlines. Photo : Deepak Pariyar/Kantipur
Acharya, head of Pokhara metropolis, said that although there are commercial charter flights at present, he is confident that there will be regular commercial flights every week in the future. "Even after 10 flights, Sichuan Airlines is willing to fill regular flights," he said. The director general of the authority said that it has been proven that narrow-body ships can travel from Pokhara at full capacity.
Mani Lamichhane, Head of Gandaki Provincial Office of Nepal Tourism Board, said that the Pokhara-Chengdu flight will provide an easy access to air services at a low cost for travelers from central and western Nepal, as well as an opportunity for Chinese tourists to see the beautiful city of Pokhara. Air connectivity will play an important role in increasing the arrival of international tourists in Nepal by supporting the 'Visit Nepal 2025' campaign announced by the Chinese government and the 'Pokhara Tourism Year' announced by the metropolis. Pokhara International Airport, which was inaugurated on January 1, 2023, previously had 12 charter flights to China, Bhutan and India.
