KATHMANDU, July 2: As many as 5,601 passengers took service on the first day of the resumption of domestic flights on Thursday.

A total of 2,430 people left Kathmandu on Thursday while 3,170 people entered Kathmandu on regular commercial flights that were suspended for 58 days due to the outbreak of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Only 50 percent of domestic flights have been operated as compared to the past. As many as 51 flights were scheduled for Thursday. But some flights were cancelled due to bad weather conditions.

According to the Tribhuvan International Airport Civil Aviation Office, eight flights including the destinations like Bhairahawa and Dolpa were cancelled. Airline companies said ticket bookings for Thursday's flight were encouraging. They said that more than 80 percent of bookings were received on the first day.

According to the office, there was only one international cargo flight conducted on Thursday. Himalaya Airlines carried out a cargo flight to China with no passengers onboard. There are six international flights scheduled for today.

Regular flights were suspended from May 3. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has allowed 64 domestic flights daily. The authority has allowed 15 daily flights to Yeti Airlines, 31 to Buddha Air, seven to Shree Air, three to Saurya Air, two to Nepal Airlines, two to Tara Air, two to Summit Air and two to Sita Air. The government has opened the way for domestic flights with the condition to not exceed 50 percent of the total flights. 

Under normal circumstances, there used to be around 300 daily flights to and from Kathmandu.

 
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