Above: Swayambhunath, a sacred site of Buddhist pilgrimage in the Kathmandu valley.
Nepal’s newest airline, BB Airways, has begun operating with flights to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur from its Kathmandu base after successfully obtaining regulatory approval. The company’s Boeing 757-200 will make four weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur and three flight per week to Hong Kong. The company has plans to expand to other destinations in the region soon, including Bangkok and Singapore.
With eight out of the world’s ten tallest mountains, diverse wilderness derived from dramatic differences in elevation, and a rich tradition of folklore, Nepal’s physical challenges and sense of mystery attracts around half a million tourists a year, but accessibility to the mountainous, landlocked republic has proven a sticking point for the country’s tourism authorities. Airlines are, however, beginning to find new ways in—AirAsia X, for example, recently launched a flight between Kuala Lumpur and Nepal.
The schedule, as seen on BB Airways’ website, is as follows:
Flight BO453 departs Kathmandu at 11.35 a.m. to land in Hong Kong at 5.55 p.m.
Flight BO454 departs Hong Kong at 7.10 p.m. to arrive back in Kathmandu at 9.45 p.m.
Flight BO455 departs Kathmandu at 11 p.m. to land in Kuala Lumpur at 5.40 a.m. the following day.
Flight BO456 departs Kuala Lumpur at 8 a.m. to arrive back in Kathmandu at 10.20 a.m.
