Dear 20 million fellow Nepalese brothers and sisters in our beloved Motherland Nepal, the 10 million Nepalis living across the world, and our foreign friends and guests who have long waited to fulfil their bucket-list dream of exploring our heavenly Himalayan country Nepal as a true “Lifetime Experience… Holidays in Himalayas.”
Nepal’s recent election marks an important milestone in the nation’s democratic journey. Strong public participation, especially from the younger generation, reflects renewed hope for stability, transparency, and corruption-free governance. On behalf of the patriotic Himalaya Jet, I extend heartfelt congratulations to the newly elected leadership of the long-awaited “Brand New Nepal.” With responsible leadership and institutional integrity, Nepal now has a historic opportunity to restore public confidence and unlock its tourism and economic potential.
For many years, Nepal’s tourism and hospitality industries among the most important sources of national income have faced profound and repeated challenges. The tragic Royal Massacre, followed by years of civil conflict that claimed the lives of more than 17,000 Nepalis, the wounds caused by the loss of our family members still remain fresh in the collective memory until this day. The aftermath brought political chaos, the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, and the gradual weakening of state institutions, where corruption increasingly flourished and good governance became difficult to sustain. These events not only shaped the political history of our country but also deeply affected the confidence of investors, entrepreneurs, and the global tourism community.
Nepal’s aviation connectivity has also remained limited for many years. Since 2013, Nepali airlines have remained on the European Union Air Safety List, due to safety oversight concerns aligned with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). This restriction has prevented Nepali carriers from operating direct flights to Europe, leaving travellers from Europe and the United Kingdom facing exhausting journeys of nearly seventeen hours with multiple connections. For a nation defined by the Himalayas, home to eight of the world’s highest peaks including Mt. Everest alongside seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, and countless natural and cultural wonders, such limitations have long prevented Nepal from fully sharing its beauty and potential with the world.
In 2015, Nepal was struck by a devastating earthquake that shook the nation’s social and economic foundations. During that difficult time, I had to bring my parents from Nepal to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. Even in that moment of crisis, the absence of direct aviation connectivity between Nepal and Europe revealed itself painfully. Shortly after the earthquake came the blockade, further deepening the hardship faced by the Nepali people and the country’s fragile economy.
However, the absence of direct air connectivity became painfully personal for my family. Around the same time, my mother in the United Kingdom successfully underwent a liver transplant, an event that felt like a miracle and gave her a second chance at life. More than anyone, my late grandfather, Duke of Landruk Pratap Bahadur Gurung, longed to see his daughter again after her recovery. He had always been the pillar of our family, my greatest inspiration, my guiding light, and for me personally, the person I admired and looked up to more than anyone else in the world. Sadly, he had been suffering for years from a severe spinal condition and could only travel in a flat-bed position. The long and complicated journey involving multiple transit flights made the trip extremely risky and ultimately impossible for him. His deepest wish was simple yet profoundly meaningful: to see his daughter, who had essentially been given a second life, one last time. I tried everything I could, reaching out to different airlines and exploring every possible arrangement to bring him to the UK, but without a direct flight, there was no safe way to make it happen. At the time, Nepali-registered airlines were unable to operate flights to the United Kingdom or the wider European airspace due to the restrictions imposed by the European Union following the 2013 aviation safety ban. The ban was introduced after a series of aviation safety concerns and tragic accidents that raised serious questions about regulatory oversight, operational standards, and infrastructure within Nepal’s aviation sector. Over the years, several incidents had drawn international attention, including the tragic crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 1951 near Kathmandu in 2009, the crash of US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 from Bangladesh in 2018, and the devastating accident involving Yeti Airlines Flight 691 in 2023. That last tragedy was particularly personal for me, as I lost a dear friend, Tribhuvan Poudel. Alongside these high-profile accidents, recurring concerns about safety management systems, oversight capacity, and infrastructure challenges led the European authorities to place all Nepali carriers on the EU Air Safety List.While Nepal’s geography with its high mountains, rapidly changing weather conditions, and short mountain runways already makes aviation inherently complex, the broader institutional and safety challenges further damaged international confidence in the country’s aviation system. As a result, Nepali airlines were effectively barred from flying into European skies, creating a major barrier to direct connectivity between Nepal and the United Kingdom. We explored the possibility of chartering an aircraft from Nepal to India and then continuing onward from India to the United Kingdom. However, the multiple transit procedures, including boarding, de-boarding, and medical transfers, would have placed an enormous physical strain on my grandfather and posed serious health risks. Arranging a full charter aircraft directly from the United Kingdom to Nepal and back was also considered, but the logistical complexity and overwhelming costs made it extremely difficult to pursue. In the end, the lack of direct connectivity made fulfilling his final wish tragically impossible.
As both a son and a grandson, I felt I had failed. In 2021, he passed away, leaving that final wish unfulfilled. A moment that deeply strengthened my resolve that Nepal should never remain so disconnected from the world. For many nights I could not sleep, carrying a deep sense of helplessness and failure for not being able to fulfil my promise to bring him to the UK and help someone who had given me so much in life. The pain of losing my grandfather under circumstances that might have been different if Nepal had stronger global aviation connectivity stayed with me. Many Nepalis have been separated from their loved ones for years and have missed some of the most important rituals and moments of their life such as births, weddings, final rites, and family gatherings simply because direct connectivity to their motherland does not exist. For decades, our family and our partners had already been closely connected with Nepal’s aviation sector. We had invested in both fixed-wing and rotary aviation companies that played a meaningful role in supporting Nepal’s domestic tourism and connectivity across the country’s challenging terrain. These investments formed part of the backbone that enabled travellers to reach some of Nepal’s most remote and breathtaking destinations, from the Himalayas to the cultural heartlands of the country. Through these experiences, we developed a deep understanding of the aviation market in Nepal and the critical role that air transport plays in connecting people, communities, and opportunities. However, over the years, a different reality began to unfold. Due to persistent structural challenges, governance issues, and limited economic opportunities at home, the number of Nepalis seeking opportunities overseas continued to grow. Today, millions of Nepalis live and work across the world, forming one of the most dynamic and resilient diasporas. While this migration reflects both hope and necessity, it has also created a profound need for stronger and more reliable connectivity between Nepal and the global cities where Nepalis now live. Recognising this shift, we began to see not only a challenge but also an opportunity to serve the Nepali diaspora and reconnect families, cultures, and communities through aviation. Having been involved in the aviation ecosystem for many years, we understand both the potential and the limitations of the current market. It is this understanding, combined with personal experience and responsibility, that has inspired our vision to enter the long-haul aviation market and build stronger direct connections between Nepal and the world.
During the tenure of Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Ale, discussions were pursued with Jyotiraditya Scindia, then India’s Minister of Civil Aviation and one of the most influential ministers in the Indian government. His extended family, connected to the Gaekwad royal lineage of Gujarat, India, has also been our three-generation hydropower partner of Nepal. These discussions contributed to efforts that helped remove the India–Nepal aviation air-bubble restrictions during the COVID-19 period, restoring greater operational connectivity between the two nations. The air-bubble framework had created significant operational challenges for airlines and travellers alike issues well understood within the aviation industry and its removal came after sustained efforts on my part, a contribution that was also acknowledged by several media outlets in Nepal. In parallel, aviation advisory engagement was initiated with IBA Group (IBA Aero), where partners Gulzar and Faisal supported preliminary discussions and lobbying efforts exploring pathways for Nepal to eventually address and uplift the EU Air Safety List restrictions. These initiatives were pursued through independent engagement, personal commitment, and a deep belief in Nepal’s aviation future.
Our world-class appointed international consultancy firms, including KPMG, ACC aviation, Boeing & Airbus consulting forums and IBA Aero, Nepal has often been viewed as an unfeasible investment destination due to political instability, bureaucratic inefficiency, and corruption. The outcome of the Nepal Investment Summit 2024 unfortunately reinforced these concerns, as despite government announcements and investment opportunities, the summit failed to attract significant foreign investment commitments. But I never accepted that narrative. I remained convinced that Nepal’s unique Himalayan identity, extraordinary natural beauty, and powerful global diaspora represent one of the most remarkable long-term opportunities in global tourism. This conviction also reminded me of the historic Nepal–United Kingdom Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) signed on 3 March 1994, originally initiated through the efforts of my father. That legacy continues to be recognised in discussions with senior officials from the United Kingdom’s transport sector, including Dr Rannia Leontaridi OBE, former Director General at the Department for Transport; Mark Harper, former Secretary of State for Transport; Rishi Sunak, former Prime Minister; and Robert Courts, former Aviation Minister. The long-standing relationship between Nepal and the United Kingdom is also reflected in visits by members of the British Royal Family to my father’s birthplace in Nepal, where they stayed at our ancestral home, a reminder of the deep historical ties that connect our two nations. These engagements were held alongside Mr. Prem Ale, then representative of the Government of Nepal and former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, together with the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, reflecting a shared belief that Nepal’s aviation future can rise above its past challenges and reconnect our proud Himalayan nation with the world. The long-standing relationship between Nepal and the United Kingdom is also reflected in visits by members of the British Royal Family to my father’s birthplace in Nepal, where they stayed at our ancestral home, a reminder of the deep historical ties that connect our two nations. These engagements were held alongside Mr. Prem Ale, then representative of the Government of Nepal and former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, together with the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, reflecting a shared belief that Nepal’s aviation future can rise above its past challenges and reconnect our proud Himalayan nation with the world.

Planning for the vision “Historic Direct Flights Connecting Motherland Nepal Heartily from the UK, Europe & Australia” and improved global connectivity had begun in 2016, following years of research and consultation with international organisations. Implementation was originally planned for 27 September 2023 on World Tourism Day. The first phase focused on patriotic flights reconnecting Motherland Nepal with its global Nepali diaspora and international travellers, rebuilding Nepal’s presence in international aviation and restoring pride in our national tourism industry. These patriotic flights were designed as the first step toward a much larger vision—the future expansion of Nepal into aviation and luxury hospitality. Looking ahead, this vision includes the potential development of ultra-luxury tourism routes linking Monte Carlo, Macau, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles around 2027–2028, as Nepal’s tourism infrastructure and high-end hospitality sector continue to evolve. However, progress was repeatedly slowed by political instability, bureaucratic barriers, and entrenched corruption within institutional systems. A renewed effort in 2024 encountered similar challenges, reflecting deeper governance failures that had affected Nepal for many years. In February 2025, while my father was hospitalised in the United Kingdom fighting for his life, progress on this initiative was inevitably delayed. The accumulated frustrations in Nepal eventually contributed to the September 2025 Gen-Z movement, where young Nepalis across the country courageously raised their voices for transparency, accountability, and a better future for the nation. While the protests and resulting travel advisories temporarily delayed progress on this initiative, the movement also represented a hopeful turning point.

Today, in 2026, with renewed political stability and a more supportive environment, we are ready to move forward. Guided by the vision “Holidays in Himalayas,” Himalaya Jet aims to introduce historic direct long-haul flights reconnecting Motherland Nepal with travellers and the Nepali diaspora across the United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. Through long-haul connectivity linking Nepal with London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Lisbon, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, Himalaya Jet could bring around one million travellers annually, including over 500,000 international tourists, representing approximately a 40–45% increase in foreign tourist arrivals. With direct connectivity, travel time would be significantly reduced to approximately 9 hours 45 minutes between London and Kathmandu and around 8 hours 45 minutes between major European hubs and Kathmandu, transforming accessibility to the Himalayan nation.
The economic impact could be transformative. Supported by world-class consultancies that have been studying Nepal’s development for many years, the broader tourism and aviation ecosystem through hotel and resort investment, trekking and adventure tourism, aviation and airport development, hospitality services, handicrafts, retail, rural tourism, and air-cargo connectivity could gradually contribute around 25–30% of Nepal’s GDP as discussed by international consulting firms. The initiative is also expected to create more than 200,000 jobs directly and indirectly to Nepali living in Nepal and across the globe, strengthening livelihoods and regional development. As part of our commitment to the global Nepali community, Himalaya Jet also plans to introduce FNPL (Fly Now, Pay Later) ticketing options as a corporate social responsibility initiative, ensuring that members of the Nepali diaspora can remain connected with their motherland with dignity and ease.

Alongside this global launch, we respectfully propose that the new government initiate a “Visit Nepal 2028” national tourism campaign. This initiative would showcase Nepal’s rich culture, heritage, and Himalayan identity to the world. At this historic moment, I sincerely call upon the entire Nepali diaspora across the world to take pride in and support this evolutionary campaign by inviting international friends, colleagues, and communities to visit our beautiful Himalayan country. Together, we can present Nepal’s culture, tourism, and hospitality to the world and take our motherland to new heights.
Through responsible aviation connectivity, Himalaya Jet supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals — SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 12, SDG 13, and SDG 17, marking a new chapter where the world once again turns its attention to the Himalayas and where Patriotic Himalaya Jet becomes a true game changer for Nepal’s tourism, aviation connectivity, and national prosperity.
Sincerely,
Patriotic Dipendra Gurung MIoD
President
Himalaya Jet (Worldwide)