This is about some instances and incidents which may be known or unknown but might be of some interest to those following aviation. The biggest news of all happens to be the worldwide fear created by the emergence of Coronavirus. Thanks to the ease brought in by air travel it has since been traced to far off corners of the world. It is obvious that time spent in an enclosed space with unsuspecting infected fellow passengers only help its spread. And it does not bode well for Visit Nepal Year 2020 as there are quite a few airlines that link Chinese cities with Kathmandu. To that end, launching of Himalaya Airline’s Chongqing (CKG) connection, even if synchronised with Chinese New Year, appears ill timed in retrospect.

Nepal and China have a lot in common in terms of culture and celebrations. Like Nepal, various traditional festivals are celebrated in China. Spring festival, also New Year, is the biggest celebration in China. Each year when winter is at its end and spring around the corner, people throughout China and those living outside China enthusiastically celebrate the first important traditional holiday of the year. Chinese celebrate spring festival as a New Year by the lunar calendar. Today (January 25) is their New Year. According to Chinese lunar calendar, there are 12 animals—mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, pig—to symbolize the year in which a person is born. This year is rat year.

BEIJING, Feb 5: Chinese communities began welcoming the Year of the Pig on Tuesday, ushering in the Lunar New Year with prayers, family feasts and shopping sprees after embarking on the world's largest annual migration.

KATHMANDU, Feb 4: Soaltee Crowne Plaza has announced to serve Chinese special dishes to welcome Chinese New Year at its specialty Chinese Restaurant Bao Xuan from Monday.