Shree Airlines Gets New Chopper
Shree Airlines has added a French Airbus manufactured AS 350 B3E helicopter to its fleet. According to the company, the helicopter is equipped with modern features like air conditioning, and comfortable seats. According to the company, the six-seater can fly up to 23,000 feet. Shree Airlines now has 10 aircraft-- six 24-seater MI 17s and four, six-seater AAS 350 B3I choppers. 

US, UK, NZ Lift Travel Advisory 
The US, UK and New Zealand have lifted their travel advisory ban on Nepal that came into effect after April and May’s devastating earthquakes. While New Zealand rolled back its travel advisory on June 30, the US and UK did so on July 2 and July 3, according to the Nepal Tourism Board. The three countries are responsible for some of the largest number of tourist arrivals in the country.

The new travel advisory states that Nepal is safe to visit except for the 14 earthquake affected districts. The updates have also cautioned against travelling in the monsoon due to the risk of landslides and to take advice from tourism related officials. The lifting of the ban has created a sense of optimism in the tourism sector.

Campaign to Promote Safe Hotels
Hotels and resorts in the country can now participate in a campaign aimed at informing travellers around the world about the condition of their hotels. Drupartment Pvt. Ltd, an IT service provider for the hospitality industry, has started a service, ‘Nepal Hotel Status’. Drupartment said it will spread the information using different social networking sites.

“The company started the campaign to help the tourism sector recover from the effects of the earthquake,” said Sabita Poudel from Drupartment. According to reports, more than 90 per cent of the hotels in the country are safe. 

Shangri-La, Hyatt, Himalaya and Grand hotels and Thamel Eco and Gokarna Forest resorts have already participated in the campaign. 

EIA of Second Int’l Airport Soon
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAN) has issued an expression of interest (EOI) notice to conduct the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the proposed second international airport in Nijgadh, Bara. 

According to project director Wakil Kumar Chimoriya, the EIA report will give an estimate of how much forest area will have to be cleared for the project. He said that interested parties have been given 15 days to respond to the EOI call. A company will be chosen to carry out the EIA on the principles of quality and cost-based selection, he informed. 

Tara Adds New Twin Otter Aircraft
Tara Air has added a new Twin Otter Viking DHC 6-400 aircraft to its fleet. The plane is equipped with modern gadgetry like ‘caller weather radar’, group proximity warning system, and traffic collision avoidance system. 

The aircraft will fly to Lukla, Phaplu, Jomsom, Dolpa, Rara and Simikot, said the company. Tara, which has been in business since 1998, plans to acquire a second Viking 400 in September.

Nepal Ranks 62 on Global Peace Index
Nepal has ranked 62 out of 162 countries on the list of peaceful countries around the world. The Global Peace Index (GPI) 2015, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) says Nepal is the second most peaceful country in South Asia.

The annual index has been prepared on the basis of the level of peace and security in society, the extent of domestic and international conflicts and degree of militarisation.  According to the index, the world’s most peaceful country is Iceland while the least peaceful is Syria. China and India rank 124th and 143th on the index, respectively.

NAC to Fly to Mumbai, Bangalore from Sep 1
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) will restart its service to the Indian cities of Mumbai and Bangalore from September 1. A subsidised one-way fare will cost Rs 10,092 for Nepalis. For other nationals the cost will be Rs 11,222 per passenger. 

Both sectors will see three flights a week with the Kathmandu-Mumbai sector operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the Kathmandu-Bangalore flights operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. For Nepali nationals, a return fare has been fixed at Rs 21,067 for the Kathmandu-Mumbai flight and Rs 20,893 for Kathmandu-Bangalore.