SilkAir, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, will introduce a three-times weekly service between Singapore and Kathmandu from 30 October 2007.

Flights will leave Singapore every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, at 0910 hours and will arrive in Kathmandu at 1205 hours (local time).

Flights out of Nepal's capital will depart at 1305 hours, arriving in Singapore at 2015 hours (local time).

There are presently no direct air services between both countries.

The inbound flights will cater to leisure traffic out of Singapore and facilitate easy connections for customers from Australia, New Zealand Japan and Europe, all of which are important source markets for inbound tourism to Nepal.

For customers from Kathmandu, the new service will offer direct flights to Singapore and the convenience of onward connections to more than 90 international cities in the joint Singapore Airlines-SilkAir network.

"We're thrilled by the opportunity to fly to Kathmandu," said David Lim, SilkAir's Vice President Commercial, adding that forward bookings are already very promising. "Nepal's unparalleled natural beauty and diverse attractions make it more than just a trekking destination and we're eager make it easier for more visitors to enjoy its splendour," he added.

Flights will be operated on SilkAir's Airbus A320 family aircraft. The new service to Kathmandu will commence just days after the launch of the airline's new direct flights to Coimbatore, a centre of commerce and industry in South India, on 28 October 2007.

With the new routes, the airline will operate over 400 flights weekly to 29 destinations across 11 countries.

SilkAir extends the Singapore Airline Group's footprint in Asia by offering connections from Singapore to 28 other exotic destinations in the region. It has been repeatedly voted "Best Regional Airline" by members of Asia Pacific's Travel Trade in the annual TTG Travel Awards. It is also the only regional airline in the world to feature consistently on Travel + Leisure's Top Ten 'World's Best Airlines' list.

SilkAir operates a fleet of 14 Airbus A-320 family aircraft; with 12 more of the same type on firm order and options for a further nine.

SilkAir flies one of the youngest fleets in the Asia region, with an average age of 4 years. We currently operate fourteen aircraft, eight Airbus A320-200 and six Airbus A319-100 aircraft.