Nepal Airlines is the flag carrier of Nepal, based at Tribhuvan International in Kathmandu. Airbus A320 and A330 jets fly to Thailand, India, the Gulf, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Japan. It has no alliance. Cabins are Business and Economy; on Bangkok flights Economy includes 30 kg checked and Business 40 kg, with cabin bags of 7 kg and 10 kg respectively.
Nepal Airlines is the government-owned national carrier, flying a small Airbus fleet out of Kathmandu.
Please note: bookingMentor is an independent travel service and is not affiliated with Nepal Airlines. Routes, schedules and baggage rules change, so always confirm the details of your booking with the airline.
Nepal Airlines is the state-owned flag carrier of Nepal. It started life on 1 July 1958 as Royal Nepal Airlines, later dropped "Royal" from its name, and still uses the old ROYAL NEPAL callsign. The Government of Nepal owns it, and its head office is on Kantipath in central Kathmandu.
Every international service runs from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. For Thailand, that means one route: Kathmandu to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, flown with an Airbus A320. Route pages for both directions are here: Kathmandu to Bangkok flights and Bangkok to Kathmandu flights. The flight takes roughly three and a half hours, and Kathmandu is the only Nepali airport with a Nepal Airlines link to Thailand.
The rest of the overseas network leans towards the places where Nepali workers live and travel: Doha, Dubai, Dammam and Kuala Lumpur, plus Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru in India, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Tokyo Narita. The two Airbus A330s fly the longer sectors. At home, a pair of Twin Otters keeps the airline present on short mountain strips.
There is no Nepal Airlines route to Bangladesh. The airline has studied a Kathmandu to Dhaka service, but nothing is on sale. Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines and Himalaya Airlines fly the sector directly (see Dhaka to Kathmandu flights), and passengers can pick up Nepal Airlines in Kathmandu or at Suvarnabhumi.
Royal Nepal Airlines began with a single Douglas DC-3. A Fokker F27 turboprop joined in 1966, the first jets, Boeing 727s, arrived in 1972, and Boeing 757s replaced them gradually from 1987. The domestic market was opened to private airlines in 1992. The first Airbus A320 was delivered on 15 February 2015 and the second on 30 April 2015, followed by two A330-200s on 28 June and 26 July 2018.
Nepal Airlines codeshares with Druk Air and has interline agreements with APG Airlines, Emirates, Japan Airlines and Kuwait Airways; the Japan Airlines agreement was reported in August 2024. Inside Nepal, flying is organised around regional hubs at Biratnagar, Nepalgunj and Pokhara.
Checked against trusted sources:
Nepal Airlines official website
Nepal Airlines (IATA: RA, ICAO: RNA) is the flag carrier of Nepal, founded in 1958 as Royal Nepal Airlines and based at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. It flies Airbus A320 and A330 jets to Bangkok, India, the Gulf, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Tokyo, with Business and Economy cabins.
| Headquarters | Kantipath, Kathmandu, Nepal |
|---|---|
| Fleet types | Airbus A320-200 (2), Airbus A330-200 (2), DHC-6-300 Twin Otter (2), as of August 2025 |
| Official website | nepalairlines.com.np |
Flight routes
Kathmandu (KTM) departures1 destination
Kathmandu (KTM) departures3 destinations
Kathmandu (KTM) departures3 destinations
Kathmandu (KTM) departures4 destinations
A small government fleet: two Airbus types for international flying and Twin Otters at home.
Two cabins on the jets.
Small front cabin
Main cabin
Your allowance depends on the sector you fly and your cabin. The exact amount is printed on your booking.
On the Bangkok route, economy includes 30 kg checked and business 40 kg. Economy on the Delhi, Mumbai and Gulf sectors is 25 kg. Cabin baggage is one 7 kg bag in economy and 10 kg in business.
Getting through check-in for Nepal Airlines is simpler in this order. Start online and finish at bag drop.
Use nepalairlines.com.np or app to check in for eligible flights. Have your Nepal Airlines booking reference or e-ticket number and your surname ready.
Booking ref + surnameBefore leaving for the airport, check that your passport is valid and that you hold any visa or entry document needed at the other end of your Nepal Airlines flight.
Passport · visa · IDGet to the airport with time for Nepal Airlines check-in, bag drop and security. The airline sets a deadline for each airport, shown in your booking, and late arrivals can lose their seat.
Well before departureHand in checked luggage at the Nepal Airlines counter or bag drop, then keep your boarding pass and passport ready for security and the gate.
Nepal Airlines counterPractical points for a Nepal Airlines trip into or out of Kathmandu.
Kathmandu is the Nepal Airlines hub and Bangkok its main Southeast Asian stop, so these are the easiest places to join the network.
Two gatewaysBangkok is one of the routes with 30 kg in economy, so it suits travellers carrying trekking kit or shopping home to Nepal.
30 kg economyExcess baggage out of Suvarnabhumi is priced per kilo in Thai baht, so keep some local currency or a card ready at the counter.
Leaving BangkokThe Nepal Airlines app shows flight status and handles check-in, which helps when departure times move at Tribhuvan.
Check-in and statusSearch Nepal Airlines alongside every other airline on your route, with flexible dates.
Search Nepal Airlines flightsOthers of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
RA, with the ICAO code RNA.
Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu (KTM).
The Government of Nepal.
Get an answer from the bookingMentor travel team and travellers who have flown Nepal Airlines.
Everything travellers ask before flying Nepal Airlines.
We check these Nepal Airlines answers with the airline’s own sources and aviation references every season.
Getting there
Nepal Airlines uses the IATA code RA and the ICAO code RNA. Its radio callsign is ROYAL NEPAL.
Nepal Airlines is headquartered in Kantipath, Kathmandu, Nepal. Its main hub is Tribhuvan International.
The Nepal Airlines fleet section on this page lists 3 aircraft types.
General
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