September 12: Salam Air has started direct flights from Muscat to Kathmandu in collaboration with IME Group starting from Tuesday, September 11. This international expansion of Salam Air will be locally handled by IME International Travel Pvt Ltd, a travel subsidiary of IME Group.
Salam Air is the first budget carrier of Oman and has started its commercial operation since January 2017 making Muscat as its main hub. It currently has five aircraft all of them 174-seater Airbus 320 and flies to 15 destinations including Muscat, Salalah, Suhar, Dubai, Doha, Jeddah, Karachi, Multan, Sialkot, Shiraz, Tbilisi, Baku, as well as newly introduced Dhaka, Khartoum and Najaf. Kathmandu is its 16th international destination and the direct flights between Kathmandu and Muscat will basically cater to the needs of the Nepalese migrant workers who can travel to and from Muscat to other countries of the Middle East and Asia at an affordable price. Additionally, the tourists who are making Muscat as their transit, will also greatly benefit. As per CAAN’s approval, Salam Air will land in Kathmandu at 8:00 Hrs and take off at 8:40 Hrs.
Speaking at a press meet organized at Tribhuvan International Airport, Chandra Prasad Dhakal, vice president of FNCCI and IME Group’s chairman, stated that the flight will reduce the cost of foreign employment for each employee. The CEO of Salam Air Captain Mohamed Ahmed stated that the flight will contribute to the country’s economic development.
