Nepal Protests: Govt Asks Air India, IndiGo To Arrange Additional Return Flights For Stranded Indians

The Union government has arranged additional flights on Wednesday and Thursday to Nepal after the opening of airport operation in Kathmandu. It advised the airlines to keep the fares within reasonable levels in order to help home-bound passengers' 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 ministry, in "coordination with Air India & IndiGo, has arranged additional flights this evening & over the next few days, alongside scheduled services resuming tomorrow", Kinjarapu said. "Airlines have been advised to keep their fares within reasonable levels. We remain committed to supporting our passengers while ensuring their safe travel during this time."

Both Air India and IndiGo have also issued posts on X to announce the commencement of the services between both the countries.

While Air India said its scheduled operations will resume from Thursday, the airline is operating additional flights this evening. The airline also said it will operate additional flights for the next few days.

IndiGo said that the flight operations have resumed to and from Kathmandu after the reopening of the airport. "As schedules are being progressively restored, customers are kindly advised to check their latest flight status on our website or app before proceeding to the airport," the airline said in a post on X.

Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport reopened for all civilian flights after being shut down for 24-hours due to "adverse circumstances." The decision to resume flights was made during a meeting of the Tribhuvan International Airport Security Committee.

The demonstrations, led largely by Gen Z, erupted after the government imposed a ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X. The unrest turned violent on Monday, leaving at least 19 people dead and hundreds injured across the country. In Kathmandu alone, 18 protesters—many students in school and college uniforms—lost their lives, and over 300 others were left injured.

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli also resigned on Tuesday after his private residence was set on fire. He alleged that the protests by the youth against the social media ban were infiltrated by vested interests that resulted in the loss of lives of citizens.