AVIATION : BUDDHA AIR EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON PLANS TO INCREASE FLIGHTS FROM KOLKATA TO KATHMANDU DAILY AFTER HUGE RESPONSE SINCE LAUNCHING FEW MONTHS BACK

AVIATION : BUDDHA AIR EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON PLANS TO INCREASE FLIGHTS FROM KOLKATA TO KATHMANDU DAILY AFTER HUGE RESPONSE SINCE LAUNCHING FEW MONTHS BACK

( Already Buddha Air has increased its Kolkata to Kathmandu flight services to four days a week, though initially it was three days a week after very positive response)

BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY

KOLKATA  | 31 JANUARY 2026

The  Executive Chairperson of Buddha Air, a Nepal based private airlines, Mr. Birendra Bahadur Basnet is planning to  make daily flight services from Kathmandu to Kolkata from four days a week at present after its huge response since inception few months back.

Talking to The Travel and Tourism Times, Abhishek K.C, Senior Marketing Executive of Buddha Air said that  the company is working on a plan to increase flights to all seven days after its success. That is why Buddha Air is taking part in Nepal Sales Mission 2026 held at Hotel Hindustan International in Kolkata and had a B2B meeting with the travel agents of the city. The next meeting will be held in Mumbai, he added.

Buddha Air has also opened an office in Kolkata and Mr. Uday Shankar Ghosh has been posted to look after the sales and marketing department.

“ It is really encouraging and even our government is also keen for the hassle free travel of passengers  visiting both the countries and expect that the  air passenger numbers will double in the next few years. With new destinations, new mountains, now hotels/ resorts, adventure sports being added Nepal is becoming a favourite destinations for the Gen Z Indian tourists and more flight connecitivity will give a huge boost,”said Mr. Surya Thapaliya, Manager of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB).

From  19 October  last year  after a hiatus of almost five years Kolkata to Kathmandu direct  flight services  have started thrice a week. Air India (AI)  used to operate flight services thrice a week from Kolkata to Kathmandu before the Covid -19  pandemic outbreak, but after the international flight services had resumed in 2022, till today the AI  flight services had not resumed.

Buddha Air, a Nepal based private airlines operator has come forward
to operate ATR-72 flights with 72 seater passenger capacities and
operates flights four days a week on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata to Tribhuvan
International Airport in Kathmandu from October last  year .

It will cost Rs.18,000 for a both way ticket of Buddha Air to and fro
from Kolkata to Kathmandu.

Dr. Kaulesh Kumar, Secretary General of Association of Buddhist Tour
Operators (ABTO) has said that the new direct flight services from
Kathmandu to Kolkata  has already opened up  new vistas in the travel and tourism
sector and will particularly boost  the Buddhist Tourism in  both the countries.

Recently during his visit to Kathmandu he had urged to start direct flight services for improving connectivity with the Buddhist tourism destinations in both the countries.

Established on 11 October 1997, Buddha Air flies to 15 national and international destinations daily and has a fleet of 18 aircrafts including 16 numbers of ATR -72 and two numbers of ATR – 42 flights.

After more than two decades it has a whopping 65 percent market share in the country and is a preferred airline for  both domestic and international departures.

Buddha Air  also operates three day a week flight services from top pilgrimage destination of
Varanasi in India  to Kathmandu in Nepal. In future it has plans to add more destinations in India.