A passenger aboard a Sichuan Airlines charter flight is welcomed with a garland after arriving at the Pokhara International Airport in Pokhara, Nepal, June 21, 2023.(Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)

 
A Sichuan Airlines charter flight arrived at the Pokhara International Airport on Wednesday morning, being the first international flight to land at the third international airport of Nepal since its inauguration in January.

Chairman of Nepal's National Assembly Ganesh Prasad Timilsina and his delegates were aboard the charter flight which took off from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province in southwestern China.

The plane was greeted with a water salute after touching down at the airport.

Sudan Kirati, Nepal's Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song welcomed the delegates and other passengers at the airport.

The Pokhara International Airport, constructed by a Chinese company with Chinese government loan, went into operation on Jan. 1.

Addressing the arrival ceremony, Timilsina spoke of the charter flight as a show of the Chinese side attaching importance to Nepal-China relations and the development of Nepal's tourism.

Necessary infrastructure should be built to attract Chinese tourists, including developing better road connectivity between Pokhara and the capital city of Kathmandu and other cities like Bhairahawa where lies Lumbini, the birth place of Lord Buddha, the chairman said.

In his speech, Kirati thanked China for not only helping build the airport, but also connecting the airport.

Connectivity is one of the most important part of the Belt and Road Initiative, Chen said, noting that as an important part of the trans-Himalayan multi-dimensional connectivity network, the Pokhara International Airport was put into operation on Jan. 1, 2023.

The new airport was designed and built according to the standards of China and the International Civil Aviation Organization and embodies the quality of Chinese engineering and symbolizes the national honor of Nepal, Chen remarked.

Since the inauguration of the airport, it has successfully completed the domestic shipping task, and the charter flight has opened a new chapter in China-Nepal connectivity and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, added the Chinese ambassador.