KATHMANDU, Mar 4: Himalaya Airlines, the private international airline of Nepal, has added an A319-115 aircraft to its fleet on Monday.

The aircraft with the maiden flight from Tianjin Binhai International Airport in China, landed at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Monday. The new aircraft MSN 9020, with registration number 9N-AJK, landed at TIA at 10:20 pm local time. 

“This is a step forward in line with the company's strategy to expand Himalaya Airlines network and operate new routes which are expected to commence during 2020,” the company issuing a statement on Tuesday quoted president of Himalaya Airlines, Zhou Enyong, as saying.

“We promise safe and comfortable journey to all our valued customers, ensuring the highest level of safety with ultramodern aircraft and technologies,” he added, “With this new arrival we envisage to take Himalaya Airlines to greater heights, establishing it as a leading international airline in the region.”

Similarly, Vijay Shrestha, vice president of Himalaya Airlines, was quoted in the statement saying, “The new arrival of A319 is a milestone in the expansion of the H9 fleet. Year 2020 will witness a remarkable progress in Himalaya's activities such as operating new frequencies, additional services on the existing routes and increase in convenient flight connections.” 

The aircraft is configured with 8 business class seats and 120 economy class seats. A319 offers new and efficient engines and promises fuel savings of up to 15%. The Airbus A319-115 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short-to medium range, narrow -body, commercial passenger, twin-engine, jet airliners manufactured by Airbus. “The just-arrived aircraft will not only be able to fly to high altitude destinations like Lhasa and Ali in Tibet but will also allow H9 to increase its flight frequencies and serve more passengers efficiently,” according to the statement. With the new aircraft, Himalaya Airlines fleet will comprise of three Airbus A320-214 and one Airbus A319-115. The company's fleet expansion plan has two more A319 aircraft expected to land in Nepal by 2021.

Himalaya Airlines started its journey on May 31, 2016 with one 158-seater A320-114 series aircraft with its first commercial flight to Doha. The airline now has added 10 destinations to its network, presently operating in 6 countries. The airline operates flights to Doha, Dammam, Dhaka, Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi and to Changsha, Guiyang, Shenzhen, Beijing, and Chongqing in China in its international air network.

 
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