KATHMANDU, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Himalaya Airlines, a China-Nepal joint-venture company, took delivery of third new Airbus A320-214 on Friday as the company moves to expand its fleet.
The airline, which started its first scheduled flight operations from May 31, 2016, flying directly to Doha, Qatar, had added the other two planes in its fleet in less than a year of commercial operations of flight.
In a press release on Friday, Himalaya Airlines termed adding up to three Airbus 320 in a single year of commercial flight operations as a remarkable achievement for a Nepalese private airline company.
The plane arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport in capital Kathmandu from Hamburg, Germany on Friday. The aircraft, with the registration number 9N-ALW, was welcomed by a ceremonial water cannon salute after it touched down the ground.
The company said that the third Airbus will enter into service in April.
"The year 2017 is the year of achievements for Himalaya Airlines as we have welcomed our second aircraft on January 31, and launched two new sectors -- Kuala Lumpur and Yangon in February," said Vijay Shrestha, vice president (administration) of the joint venture airline.
"With the arrival of third Airbus 320, we plan to expand our global network and strengthen the air connectivity of Nepal to the international arena," Vijay Shrestha added.
