Chengdu (China), March 19
The first-ever commercial charter flight from Pokhara International Airport to Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, took place on Tuesday.
This marks the first commercial international flight from Pokhara International Airport, which was inaugurated two years ago.
The flight was conducted under the leadership of the Pokhara Tourism Council, in collaboration with Pokhara Metropolitan City, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, Sichuan Airlines, and the Chinese Association in Nepal.
The milestone was achieved after continuous efforts from various stakeholders, including the private sector, to initiate international flights from Pokhara.
A 126-member delegation, including Pokhara Metropolitan City Mayor Dhanraj Acharya, Pokhara Tourism Council Chair Taranath Pahari, Nepal Tourism Board (Gandaki Province) Chief Maniraj Lamichhane, and Pokhara Visit Year-2025 Performance Committee Coordinator Gopi Bahadur Bhattarai, arrived in Chengdu to promote tourism.
At Chengdu Airport, the Nepali delegation was welcomed by Nepali Consul General to China Suresh Raut, senior officials from Sichuan Province, and representatives of Sichuan Airlines.
During the event, Mayor Acharya highlighted that this charter flight was made possible through the persistent efforts of **Pokhara Metropolitan City and the Pokhara Tourism Council, especially given the challenges in launching international flights from the airport.
Additionally, the Chinese Embassy organised a ‘B2B’ (Business-to-Business) meeting between tourism entrepreneurs from Nepal and China to explore opportunities for tourism development in Pokhara.
Pokhara International Airport was officially inaugurated on January 1, 2023.
