Delhi Airport has recently launched a new facilitation system for Nepali passengers flying to third countries via Delhi.

Some time ago, the incident of four Nepali women being deported from Delhi airport on two different flights had created a sense of fear and insecurity among the passengers. The passengers had reached Delhi to Berlin from Qatar Airways and Colombia from Lufthansa. The next country after India was their transit. But the news of their sudden return from the airport had increased the concern of Nepali passengers flying alone to Europe and America.

After this incident, the Nepali Embassy in Delhi also spoke to the concerned parties and urged them to pay attention to the safety of Nepali passengers.

In this situation, the Indira Gandhi International Airport has set up a new information desk for passengers traveling from Nepal and going to other international destinations via Delhi, Ambassador Shankar Sharma told Kantipur.

The aim of this desk is to facilitate the transit process for passengers. According to Indian information, if Nepali citizens are only connecting to another international flight, they will not have to participate in the Indian immigration process.

Instead, they will be allowed to proceed directly to the international transfer area. Ambassador Sharma said that this move is expected to reduce unnecessary delays and hassles in the travel process. 

According to Ambassador Sharma, the number of Nepalis travelling from Delhi to many countries around the world is increasing. However, with this, it has become imperative to check the safety and authenticity of passengers.  Ambassador Sharma said that some gangs are misleading Nepali workers or passengers by creating fake No Objection Letters (NOCs), fake visas and other documents. 

The Nepali mission has confirmed that some visas and documents are fake in recent months.  This may also make genuine passengers suspicious.

The case of Sambhavi Adhikari is an example of this. He was supposed to fly to Berlin via Doha via Qatar Airways. However, Qatar Airways staff stopped him from the flight after suspicions arose that his documents were not found in Delhi. 

Finally, with the help of Nepal Airlines Corporation, he was returned to Nepal on the same day. This incident has not only highlighted the problems faced by passengers traveling from Nepal via Delhi, but also the importance of document verification.

Meanwhile, the Nepali Embassy in Delhi has urged passengers to check all their documents and travel documents before travelling. It is believed that this will reduce future inconveniences. The coordination between the embassy and the airport administration seems to be the first important step towards making transit and international travel easy and safe for Nepali passengers.

Passengers also need to ensure that their documents, tickets and visas are valid.

Delhi airport currently flies to around 150 international destinations. There are around 1,400 flights operating there daily. This has made Delhi a major hub for Indian air transport.

Travel agents say that the number of passengers traveling from Nepal to other countries via Delhi is also relatively high due to the 13 percent VAT, the expensive exchange rate of the dollar, and the syndicate system of selling tickets to only certain travel agencies of some airlines.

Therefore, the Delhi route has facilitated the travel of Nepali passengers by providing facilities and concessions.