Kathmandu, October 2
Nepal is likely to let its citizens stranded in India fly back home from October 17, it has been learned.
Although Nepal resumed limited international flights last month, flights from and to India have not reopened owing to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases there. However, considering the plight of thousands of citizens stranded abroad, the government is preparing to compromise, sources in the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation say.
The ministry’s joint secretary Kamal Prasad Bhattarai says the ministry has sent its proposal to the Covid-19 Crisis Management Committee in this regard.
Earlier in August, India had proposed Nepal to join its ‘Air Bubble’ scheme, under which flights could be conducted to repatriate citizens stranded in India. However, Nepal has not officially responded to the proposal yet.
Under the scheme, the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi will be assigned to sell tickets and manage flight schedules etc.
Although the CCMC is yet to make a decision, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal on its part has already started preparations, informs the authority’s Deputy Director-General Raj Kumar Chhetri.
