The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) have signed an agreement to the effect of opening four new air routes for traffic between the countries and beyond in a move which could lead to more international flights out of Nepal, The Financial Express has reported.
The international entry overflight points covered by the technical agreement include Biratnagar (en route from Kathmandu to Dhaka), Janakpur (to Kolkata and Patna), and Mahendranagar (en route to Delhi International). The last point is only open to low-level traffic up to 24,000 feet of altitude, which would suffice for the needs of carriers planning to connect Nepalgunj in Nepal to Delhi. Buddha Air (U4, Kathmandu) has been rumoured to be mulling such flights.
India and Nepal have, however, postponed the decision on opening another entry point in Nepalganj itself, mostly due to the opposition from the Nepalese military which maintains a large base in the area and conducts frequent exercises. High-level flights via the Mahendranagar entry point are also off the negotiating table for the time being but will be re-examined by September 2018.
Currently, there are only three entry and exit points into the Nepalese airspace, including one from China and two from India (one in the southern part of the country and one in eastern). A further four points, all leading to India, are open for outbound traffic from Nepal only.
According to the ch-aviation capacity module, India is Nepal's largest international market with 73 weekly scheduled departures out of Kathmandu, Nepal's sole international gateway. 56 of these flights are to Delhi, which is the most-served international destination out of Nepal.