Kathmandu [Nepal], January 29 : A new flight began operation from the Nepalgunj Airport in Nepal on Monday, allowing Indian devotees to have 'darshan' of Kailash Mansarovar shrine from a height of 27,000 feet.
The aircraft with 38 Indian tourists on board was operated by Shree Airlines, a private aviation company in the Himalayan nation. The flight was arranged in coordination between the 'Tour the Temple' travel agency from India and Nepal's 'Path Hill Travels'.
"The Indian tourists on board were mainly from New Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. They flew at a height of about 27,000 feet from where they were able to do 'Doordarshan' of Kailash Mansarovar," Keshav Neupane, the regional director of Siddhartha Business Group told ANI.
The introduction of a direct flight between Nepalgunj and Kailash Manasarovar is seen as a milestone, solidifying Nepalgunj's status as a prominent tourist destination.
A cabin crew led by Captain Prafulla Baidhya operated the flight which lasted for about two hours.
Officials from Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, Nepalgunj office were also on board the mountain flight which took off from Nepalgunj.
Notably, China had put a ban on Indian tourists from coming to Kailash Mansarovar in the wake of the Covid pandemic, but the flight operation from Nepal has ignited a ray of hope.
Prior to the pandemic, around 12,000 Indian pilgrims used to take voyages to Kailash Mansarovar via Nepal.
Kailash Mansarovar is one of the holiest shrines according to Hindu beliefs. Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are located in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau, in China. The mountain and the lake are connected to India through the route from Uttarakhand.
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