Getting There

Nepal is serviced by over 30 international carriers as of late 2010 and more airlines are expected to start their service soon. For North American travelers, getting to Nepal requires at least one stop, as there are no direct flights to Nepal from the United States or Canada. However, some airlines like American Airlines and United Airlines have direct flights to Delhi, from where Kathmandu is just a 1:15 hour flight. Also, you can fly directly into Doha, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok, on Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Thai Airways respectively, and take a direct flight to Kathmandu from these destinations.

Flight from Europe
There are no nonstop flights from Europe as yet and the dozens of airlines that operate direct routes all make at least one stop en route, which means around 12 hours of flying time. From London, Gulf Air, Lauda (Austrian Airlines), Pakistan International Airways (PIA), and Qatar Airways offer the most direct routings.  Seats with the above Airlines get booked early; there are alternatives but they take longer. Biman Bangladesh’s flight from Dhaka are worth considering for their prices, especially in Nepal’s high season but it is a long flight and one will have to wait some time in Dhaka for the connecting flight to Kathmandu. Transavia flights from Amsterdam to Kathmandu can be booked through from London on KLM but it means touching down twice in Amsterdam and Sharjah. Many other Airlines fly from London to Delhi, from where you can travel overland or catch a separate connecting flight to Kathmandu. Flying to Delhi also expands your option for getting a seat on the day of your choice, but it won’t get you there any faster, and this routing often turns out to be more expensive. Flying with Singapore and Thai Airlines from Europe means you will have to double back from Singapore or Bangkok and fairs are similar or slightly higher than the more direct routed flights.
Air France, British Airways, and KLM’s Transavia wing fly to Delhi from numerous regional British Airports via Paris, London or Amsterdam respectively.

Flight from the USA and Canada
Nepal is basically on the other side of the planet from the US and Canada. If you live on the east coast, it is somewhat shorter to go via Europe, and from the west coast, it is shorter via the Far East; either way it is a long haul involving one or more intermediate stops. Several Airlines fly to Kathmandu from the US and Canada, but only Thai operates a daily service (out of LA). When seat availability is tight ask about alternative routings; plenty of other carriers fly to Delhi, Bangkok, Hong Kong and other Asian cities, from where you can catch a connecting flight to Kathmandu.

Seasonal considerations may help determine your route. These seasons don’t necessarily coincide with Nepal’s autumn and spring tourist seasons. Most Airlines flying east (over the Atlantic) consider high season to be summer and the period right around Christmas; low season is winter (excluding Christmas), while spring and autumn may be considered low or shoulder season, depending on route. Flying west (over the Pacific), high season is generally June to July and December to January with everything else being low season.

From East and Central USA:
Flying eastwards, there are many route options depending on where you want or do not want to stop over. Figure on spending at least 20 hours on planes.
The best consolidated fares are invariably from New York falling in the range of $1200-1500 in low season. Singapore Airlines usually comes in near the top of that range, but has excellent connections and the route avoids political hotspots. Somewhat cheaper tickets may be had on Gulf, Kuwait, Air India, Austrian Airways and various others which often have you crossing the Atlantic with one airline and then switching to another. Qatar Airways which flies to Kathmandu from London (and is slated to start flying out of New York as well) is well worth trying to connect with.

The story is similar from other eastern and mid western cities but fairs may be a slightly higher. In many cases, the cheapest option would be to go via New York to take advantage of the rock bottom consolidated fares from there.  From the Midwest, flying west via Los Angeles may not cost anymore, in case you have got a Far Eastern stopover in mind.

In the autumn and spring tourist high season (late Sep to mid Nov, and late Feb to mid March) flights to Kathmandu – Nepal’s only airport, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) fill up months ahead, so book in advance if you wish to travel during these times. As relatively few airlines serve Kathmandu, you may well find yourself making several hopes with two or even three different carriers. Most people book tickets through to Kathmandu, but you can also make your own way to a major regional air hub such as Delhi or Bangkok, and take a separate onward flight from there. These alternative gateways are popular mostly with travelers with longer trips, and those entering Nepal overland from neighboring countries.

Airfares depends on the time of the year, but timing on the high, low and shoulder seasons are calculated differently by each airline and may not always coincide with Nepal’s tourist season. More important is where you are flying from.  You can usually cut costs by going through a specialist flight agent – either a consolidator, which buys up blocks of tickets from the airlines and sells them at a discount, or a discount agent, which in addition to dealing with discounted flights may also offer special student and youth fares and a range of other travel related services. Many airlines and discount travel websites offer you the opportunity to book the tickets online cutting out the costs of agents and middlemen.  Good deals can often be found through discount or auction sites, as well as through the airline’s own websites.

The best way to fly to Kathmandu from North America is via Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong, Delhi, Abu Dhabi or Doha. Here are just some options:

And then there is also Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Pakistan International Airlines flying from Europe and Asia to Kathmandu when you are on a tight budget. From Delhi to Kathmandu you can fly daily: Indian Airlines, Jet Airways, Jet Lite, Nepal Airlines, Cosmic Air or Druk Air of Bhutan (four times a week).

 Airlines  From  To  Website
 Qatar Airways  Doha  Kathmandu  www.qatarairways.com
 Cathay Pacific  Bangkok  Kathmandu  www.cathaypacific.com
 Air Arabia  Sharjah  Kathmandu  www.airarabia.com
 ArkeFly  Amsterdam  Kathmandu  www.arkefly.nl
 Fly Dubai  Dubai  Kathmandu  www.flydubai.booksecure.net
 Druk Air  Paro - Delhi  Kathmandu  www.drukair.com.bt
 Etihad Airways  Abu Dhabi  Kathmandu  www.etihadairways.com
 Gulf Air  Bahrain  Kathmandu  www.gulfair.com
 Dragon Air  Hong Kong Kathmandu  www.dragonair.com
 Indian Airlines  Delhi, Kolkata Kathmandu  www.airindia.in
 Jet Airways  Delhi, Mumbai Kathmandu  www.jetairways.com
 JetLite  Delhi Kathmandu  www.jetlite.com
 Korean Air  Seoul Kathmandu  www.koreanair.com
 Pakistan International Airlines  Karachi Kathmandu  www.piac.com.pk
 Nepal Airlines  Kathmandu Bangkok, Delhi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Singapore, Shanghai  www.NepalAirlines.com.np
 Silk Air  Singapore  Kathmandu  www.silkair.com
 Thai Airways  Bangkok  Kathmandu  www.thaiairways.com
 GMG Airlines  Dhaka  Kathmandu  www.gmgairlines.com
 China Southern Airlines  Guangzhou  Kathmandu  www.csair.com
 Spice Jet  Delhi  Kathmandu  www.spicejet.com
 Kingfisher  Delhi  Kathmandu  www.flykingfisher.com
 Biman Bangladesh  London/Heathrow – Dhaka  Kathmandu  www.biman-airlines.com
 Oman Air  Muscat  Kathmandu  www.omanair.com
 Bahrain Air  Al Manama  Kathmandu  www.bahrainair.net
 Saudi Arabian Airlines  Riyadh  Kathmandu  www.saudiairlines.com
 Singapore Airlines    Kathmandu  www.singaporeair.com
 Air China  A: Chengdu
 B: Lhasa
 Kathmandu  www.airchina.com
 China Eastern  Kunming  Kathmandu  www.flychinaeastern.com
 United Airways  Dhaka  Kathmandu  www.uabdl.com

 

Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) Profile
Location: The airport is situated four miles (6km) east of Kathmandu.
Time: GMT +5.45.
Contacts: Tel: +977 (0)1 470 274.
Coordinates - 274150N - 0852128E
Elevation - 4390 ft.AMSL
Reference Temperature - 27.8 C
Runway Designation - 02/20
Runway Dimension - 10000 ft. x 150 ft.
Runway Surface Strength - 54 F/A/W/T
Transfer between terminals: The small international and domestic terminals are located within easy walking distance of one another.

Getting to the city: A pre-paid taxi service operates from immediately outside the arrival gate. Rates are exhibited on a board and the fare must be paid in advance. Local buses also serve the airport; the journey is 35 minutes and costs around Rs40.

Car rental: Car rental companies are represented.

Airport Taxis: Both pre-paid taxis and normal taxis are available at the airport. Pre-paid taxis are often more expensive than regular taxis hailed outside the airport. Taxi drivers often try to overcharge passengers, so only pay when you are at your destination and agree on a price before getting into the vehicle. Fares into the city are generally NPR 250 during the day and a NPR 50 surcharge at night.

Facilities: Facilities include banks and bureau de change, shops, duty-free, snacks, Internet, post office and tourist information. The airport is well equipped with facilities for those with disabilities.

Departure tax: NRs. 1,356 Per Person for departure to SAARC (South Asian) countries: Bangladesh, Maldives, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. And NRs. 1,695 for departure to other international destinations and Rs. 169.50 (domestic).

Website: www.tiairport.com.np