Nepal’s national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines, will begin flights to Guangzhou, one of China’s three largest cities and a bustling business hub in the heart of Asia, from next week—marking a milestone more than a decade and a half after it first applied for landing permits.

This will also be the first-ever direct flight by the state-owned airline to China since Nepal and China established diplomatic ties in 1955.

Nepal and China had signed their first air service agreement on January 24, 1987.

“We are beginning with two flights on September 25 and 28 to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport,” said Subas Dangi, spokesperson for Nepal Airlines. “These will be promotional flights.”

The one-way promotional fare for the 4-hour 30-minute journey has been set at Rs30,000, while a return ticket will cost Rs50,000. The flight will depart from Kathmandu at 10 pm local time and land at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 4:30 am local time.

From October, the airline plans to launch three weekly flights—on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, Dangi said. “This is Nepal Airlines’ first scheduled service to China,” he added. “Due to the Dashain rush, demand from passengers coming to Nepal is strong, and occupancy on the China-Kathmandu sector looks good.”

Nepal Airlines previously operated flights to Osaka, Japan, via Shanghai until 2008 under fifth freedom rights, which allow an airline to carry passengers from its own country to a second country and then onwards to a third country without needing additional permits.

Deepak Raj Joshi, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board, welcomed the news, saying that connectivity with China—Nepal’s second-largest source market—was crucial. “The direct flights will not only bring more tourists but also help stabilise airfares, which is equally important for Nepal’s tourism economy,” he said.

“But questions about its long-term sustainability remain.”

Nepal Airlines had first applied for flights to China in January 2015, when its long-haul fleet consisted only of two ageing Boeing 757s. The airline was expecting to induct new Airbus aircraft the following month.

In February 2015, the national carrier welcomed one of two Airbus A320-200 aircraft, marking its first major fleet expansion in 27 years.

However, the landing permit never came through, as the safety audit required for clearance was not carried out.

Chinese authorities at the time placed Nepal Airlines’ application on hold, citing a lack of available slots at Guangzhou airport and suggesting the airline wait until a new airport under construction in Beijing was completed, according to airline officials.

Meanwhile, six Chinese carriers—Air China, China Southern, China Eastern, Sichuan Airlines, Cathay Dragon, and Tibet Airlines—were already operating flights to Nepal, while Nepal Airlines was still unable to secure access to China.

As the national carrier waited for the green light from Chinese aviation authorities, a newcomer—Himalaya Airlines—stepped in. The private airline, later a Nepal-China joint venture, began flights to Beijing in October 2019.

On October 27, 2019, Himalaya Airlines launched its inaugural service to Beijing, marking the first-ever capital-to-capital direct flight between Nepal and China. But it suspended the flights shortly due to the lack of passengers.

Following that, Nepal Airlines wrote a formal letter requesting Chinese authorities to coordinate the long-pending safety audit, a letter routed to the Foreign Ministry through the Tourism Ministry.

“This was the first time since 2015 that Nepal Airlines formally sought government assistance to facilitate its plans to operate flights to Chinese airports, even though verbal discussions had taken place on several occasions before,” said an official.

Earlier, in July 2019, Nepal and China had signed a revised bilateral air services agreement, increasing the permitted flights between the two countries from 70 per week to 98 on a reciprocal basis.

That same year, a Nepali delegation held marathon talks—lasting more than three hours—with Chinese civil aviation authorities about Nepal Airlines’ plans to connect China in time for the planned Visit Nepal 2020 campaign, which aimed to attract 500,000 Chinese tourists.

The Chinese side had then promised to conduct a safety audit of Nepal Airlines, a routine process undertaken by regulators before allowing foreign airlines access to their airports.

But the Covid pandemic disrupted all plans, forcing Chinese carriers to suspend their flights to Nepal.

Later, as Beijing began reopening its borders and resuming flights, China announced it would support Nepal with soft power by sending at least 500,000 Chinese tourists.

In September 2023, during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to China, Beijing officially declared 2025 as “Visit Nepal Year in China.”

Chinese arrivals to Nepal have since rebounded strongly. In 2024, the number of visitors from China crossed the six-digit mark, reaching 101,879—a 67 percent increase year-on-year.

Boosted by improved Chinese arrivals, Nepal welcomed a total of 1.14 million international tourists last year, a 13 percent rise compared to 2023, though still short of pre-pandemic levels.