| THE
inaugural Transavia flight from Amsterdam to Kathmandu via Sharjah touched down
at the emirate's international airport on Thursday morning with 218 passengers
on board.
Both crew and passengers were treated to an Arabic welcome
reception by airport authorities.
Transavia - the only airline linking
Sharjah with Europe, according to an airline official - will operate weekly flights
on the Amsterdam - Kathmandu sector via Sharjah every Friday. The flight is fully
booked for the next four months.
The airline official said: "We
are working on lifting passengers on the Amsterdam - Sharjah sector. Passengers
bound for Kathmandu will be accepted on board from Sharjah."
The
Transavia flight is the only one connecting Sharjah with the Himalayan kingdom.
Dutch major KLM, which holds a stake of more than 80 per cent in Transavia, is
the sole agent for the UAE. |
Dr. Ghanem Al Hajri, director general of Sharjah International Airport, and
Mohammed Saif Al Hajri, director general of Civil Aviation, received the passengers
and the crew.
"Our company is pleased to add Sharjah to
its network," said Gerard Helming, senior vice-president of the 32-year-old
airline, while thanking the emirate for the reception. "Sharjah's strategic
position as a 'jumping off' point for other key destinations, the short lines
of communication and the flexibility were the factors which the airline took into
consideration while deciding on Sharjah," said the Transavia official.
Kedar Bhakta Shrestha, Nepal's Ambassador to Belgium, who was on board
the maiden flight, said the flight would be a boost to Nepal's tourism industry
as the Nepalese government had announced 1998 as Visit Nepal Year. |
