Nepal to resume flights to six more countries

The government’s decision to allow more flights to and from major labour destination countries is expected to provide a much-needed respite for thousands of Nepali migrant workers stuck at home and abroad.

A meeting of the COVID-19 Crisis Management Committee chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today at the official residence of the Prime Minister in Baluwatar decided to resume flights to Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Japan and Malaysia.

According to Krishna Hari Pushkar, a spokesperson for the centre, there will be more flights from and to major destination countries where regular flights were operating before the imposition of restrictions.

“Not only those six destinations, but flights will gradually resume to more countries in coming weeks,” Pushkar told the Post. “It’s not that 100 percent flights have been opened immediately, but a limited number of flights for most of the countries will be allowed soon.”

According to him, more flights will be added to Qatar, India, China and Turkey—countries where the government has already allowed a limited number of regular flights—whereas flights will resume to Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Japan and Thailand, among other countries.

With the resumption of international flights, it is expected that Nepali migrant workers will get some relief as they will be able to travel for overseas jobs. Many migrant workers stranded in various countries due to travel restrictions will also be able to return home.