KATHMANDU: National flag carrier Nepal Airlines has officially launched direct flights to Guangzhou, China.

The airline began operating regular Kathmandu–Guangzhou–Kathmandu flights from Saturday.

Although the inaugural flight was originally scheduled for September 25, it was delayed due to technical issues and finally took off on Saturday afternoon.

Many invitees and passengers had already gathered at Tribhuvan International Airport for the opening flight, which was cancelled at the last minute.

Nepal Airlines made arrangements for the affected passengers. According to spokesperson Manoj Kumar Sah, the aircraft departed Kathmandu on Saturday and returned from Guangzhou on Sunday with 107 passengers.

Regular services will now follow the pre-set schedule. The airline has planned three weekly flights on the route.

The first flights are scheduled for September 28, October 16, October 19, and October 23. Afterward, regular flights will operate every Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday.

The one-way fare is fixed at Rs 30,000, while a round-trip ticket costs Rs 50,000. Currently, China Southern Airlines and Nepal’s Himalaya Airlines are also operating flights on the Kathmandu–Guangzhou sector.

Given the large Nepali community in Guangzhou, Nepal Airlines expects the new service to be financially beneficial.

With the addition of Guangzhou, Nepal Airlines now operates regular international flights to 11 destinations across nine countries, using its two narrow-body and two wide-body aircraft.

These include Doha (Qatar), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Dubai (UAE), Hong Kong, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore (India), Bangkok (Thailand), Dammam (Saudi Arabia), and Narita (Japan).