Shree Airlines Cleared to Fly International — Kathmandu–Delhi First

Key facts

From the trail · Everest

• The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) added international operations to Shree Airlines' air operator certificate in April 2026.
• Approval followed an operationally successful demonstration flight to Kolkata on 6 April 2026.
• First planned route: daily Kathmandu–New Delhi, with Kolkata and other Indian cities to follow.
• Initial aircraft: the 80-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400; narrow-body jets planned within a year.

For years, trekkers flying into Nepal from India or onward to the Gulf have had a familiar shortlist: the Indian carriers, a couple of Gulf airlines, and Nepal's own small international fleet. That shortlist is about to get longer. Shree Airlines — the airline most trekkers know as the workhorse of Nepal's domestic network, including the white-knuckle hops into Lukla — has been cleared by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to operate scheduled international flights.

The green light came in April 2026, after CAAN reviewed a positive technical report from a demonstration flight Shree ran to Kolkata on 6 April. With the international sector now added to its air operator certificate, the carrier has formally asked the Nepal government to begin the bilateral "designation" process for flights to India and Bangladesh — the step that lets a national airline be nominated to fly an agreed route under an air-services agreement.

Where Shree plans to fly

The first target is clear: daily Kathmandu–New Delhi service, aimed squarely at the strong, year-round demand between the two capitals. Kolkata — already proven on the test flight — sits high on the list of follow-on Indian destinations, and the airline has signalled longer-term ambitions across South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Initially it will deploy its 80-seat Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 turboprops, the same reliable type many of you have flown on inside Nepal, before adding narrow-body jets to reach further afield.

What this means for trekkers

A note of realism: an air operator certificate is the start, not the finish line. Shree still needs the Nepal government's designation and final clearance from Indian aviation authorities before tickets go on sale, and the airline itself expects scheduled flights to begin roughly three months after that Indian approval. So do not rebook your 2026 trek around it just yet — but if you fly to Nepal via Delhi or Kolkata, keep an eye on this route as it firms up.

For most international trekkers the practical takeaway is simple: getting to Kathmandu is getting easier and more competitive, which is exactly the trend Nepal's tourism needs. Once you land, the mountains do the rest. If you are planning the trip, our 12-day Everest Base Camp Trek and the gentler 9-day Annapurna Base Camp Trek are the two routes most first-timers connect through Delhi for. Travellers coming from India can also read our planning guide on trekking Nepal from India — no visa needed.

Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal; ch-aviation; ShareSansar (April 2026).

Cover photo: Chris Light via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).