India, Nepal to resume flight services under bubble pact

New Delhi, December 10

India and Nepal have decided to resume flight services under a bilateral air bubble arrangement, authoritative sources said on Thursday, in reflection of efforts to restore normalcy in ties that came under severe strain following a bitter border row.

Initially, the service will start with one flight daily from each side between Delhi and Kathmandu, they said.

The decision to resume the flight service comes two weeks after Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Kathmandu during which he held extensive talks with the political brass. Nepalese Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali is likely to visit India in the next three weeks.

“India and Nepal have decided to open flights under a bilateral bubble arrangement, as we have done with several countries,” said a source.

The flights between the two countries were suspended following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We had proposed to Nepal some time back and Nepal has cleared it now,” said a source. It is not immediately known when the flight service will be started. — PTI