IndiGo resumes flights to Kathmandu amid Nepal unrest
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IndiGo, a budget airline, will resume daily flights to Nepal's capital city, Kathmandu, beginning Thursday, September 11.
Following government approval, the airline would conduct two special relief flights to transport customers back to India. These relief flights will be available at reduced rates to make travel more convenient.
The airline on X wrote, "Starting September 11, IndiGo shall resume four daily scheduled flights to and from Kathmandu. In addition, subject to regulatory approvals, two special relief flights will operate the same day, dedicated to bringing our customers home safely."
The resumption comes two days after IndiGo suspended all services to Kathmandu due to this week's political unrest, NDTV reported.
The Union government scheduled additional flights to Nepal on Wednesday and Thursday following the opening of airport operations in the capital city. It recommended that airlines keep costs affordable so that home-bound travellers may return.
"Due to airport closure in Nepal, many home-bound passengers were unable to return from Kathmandu," Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a post on X.
The rallies, mostly organised by Gen Z, erupted after the Nepali government banned 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.
The demonstrations became violent on Monday, killing at least 19 people and wounding hundreds around the country. According to media accounts, 18 protestors died in Kathmandu alone, many of them were students in school or college uniforms. Over 300 more were injured.
KP Sharma Oli, Nepal's Prime Minister, also resigned on Tuesday after his private residence was set on fire. He said that the youth protests against the social media ban were infiltrated by entrenched interests, resulting in the deaths of citizens.