New Delhi, (IndiaPRwire.com) Etihad Airways will start a four flights-a-week service from its Abu Dhabi home base to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, in October.

The flights will provide a valuable link for the 90,000 Nepalese nationals living in the UAE as well as the growing demand from leisure travellers looking to sample Nepal’s ancient culture and the world-famous Himalayas.

Kathmandu will join Etihad’s expanding network across the Indian subcontinent which includes Dhaka, Delhi, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “Etihad continues to provide our customers with frequent flights and connections to the world’s leading capital cities and population centres. The Kathmandu service will be enormously popular with the UAE’s Nepalese community as well as leisure travellers flying with Etihad from Europe and North America.”

Tourism in Nepal has developed considerably in recent years with thousands of travellers visiting the country each year to enjoy its spectacular scenery, wildlife and Everest, the world's highest mountain.

Etihad will operate a two cabin Airbus A330-200 between Abu Dhabi and Kathmandu configured to carry 262 passengers, with 22 in business class and 240 in economy.