Booking Flights: How, When & Which Airlines Fly to Nepal

Booking Your Flight to Kathmandu (airport code KTM)

When to Book

We have two primary suggestions regarding when to purchase your airfare. First, wait until after you purchase your travel insurance, or at the very least, purchase your airfare within 14 days of acquiring your travel insurance policy. Make sure your travel insurance covers unexpected changes and cancellations. Secondly, don’t wait too long! The days of waiting until 45 days out from departure to catch low fares are long gone. Plane seats are limited so be sure to have your flights secured at least 4-6 months out if possible.

Please note: The information below is merely to get you started. We are not a travel agency and the information below is based on the collective experience of our travel team and past travelers.

Which Routes and Airlines Fly to Kathmandu

There are a handful of airlines with regular flights and good fares to Kathmandu. Below are a few airlines we feel offer the best rates and service to Kathmandu:

Qatar Airways - With their main hub located in Doha, Qatar, they offer up to four daily flights to Kathmandu in peak seasons. With a modern fleet of planes, Qatar Air is one of the better airlines in the world. The Hamad International Airport in Doha was rated the best airport in the world in 2022.

The advantage of multiple daily flights: With multiple flights to Kathmandu each day, should your seat get bumped, your luggage delayed, or anything else disrupt your travel, sometimes the solution is just a few hours away on the next arriving plane. That is the primary reason we advocate for Qatar Airways.

The Good: Great planes, good fares, great on-plane service, and Hamad International Airport is just awesome.

The Not-so-good: Since 2020 Qatar Airways seems to reschedule flights more often than we feel is comfortable. Not a deal breaker, but expect minor itinerary changes before departure day.

Click to access Qatar Airways: https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/homepage.html

Hamad International Airport Hotels: This is one of the great reasons to travel Qatar Air. There are now two hotels inside the airport in the event you have a long layover. There are also two sleeping pod facilities in the airport. While neither option is inexpensive, should you have an 8-hour layover or more, these are great resources to take advantage of. Check out the Oryx Hotel inside the airport, and the Sleep-N-Fly sleeping pods. Be sure to book far in advance.

Emirates Air - Based in Dubai, this is one of the best airlines in the world, and recently they dropped their fares within reach of most travelers to Nepal.

The Good: Incredible on-plane service, beautiful planes, and the airport in Dubai is great.

The Not-so-Good: The airport in Dubai is massive. Tight transfers in Dubai can be stressful. The Kathmandu flights utilize the older terminal which is nice, but not great, and requires a 15-20 minute bus ride to get there. You must have at least 2 hours, ideally 3-4, for transfers through Dubai.

Click to access Emirates Air: https://www.emirates.com/us/english/

Hamad International Airport in Doha Qatar is a traveler’s dream airport. It’s quiet, clean, orderly, small, and even has a hotel inside security.

Singapore Airlines - Almost always rated the best airline in the world, their home airport in Singapore has been ranked number one in the world for a decade. Needless to say, there’s no real downside to traveling with Singapore Air, but the airfares seldom drop to the levels of the Middle Eastern airlines. If you can find a good fare and itinerary, this is a great option. https://www.singaporeair.com/flightsearch/searchFlight.form#/booking

Turkish Airlines - Based in Istanbul, their home airport is one of the newest in the world and just opened in 2021. The airline itself is superb with great aircraft, service to rival the best of the best, and fares that are not always as high as Etihad and Emirates.

The Good: Turkish Air is part of the Star Alliance network so point users with United Airlines mind find good deals. It’s also a fabulous airline. Fold in a 24 hour stopover in Istanbul and you have great transit to Nepal.

The Not-so-Good: They only offer three flights to Kathmandu per week, so the dates may not always line up. They are a very reliable airline, so unexpected cancellations and rescheduled itineraries are not as common.

Click here to visit their site: https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/

TRAVEL ADVISORY - BE VERY CAREFUL FLYING THROUGH INDIA

Air India - As a Star Alliance partner many people fly Air India as a way to earn or use points. You must be aware of a few very important details when flying this particular route.

- Extended stopovers: India Air often encourages travelers to purchase itineraries with a 24 hour stopover in Delhi, and many people like the idea of an extra adventure. YOU MUST OBTAIN A 30-DAY TOURIST VISA TO EXIT THE AIRPORT. Failure to do so can delay your travels by 48 hours, and you could be denied boarding at your first leg of travel.

- Travelers who have GPS-enabled messaging devices like a SPOT, inReach, or similar are NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THOSE DEVICES IN INDIA. THEY WILL BE SEIZED. Travelers with satellite phones in their carry-on or checked bags WILL LIKELY BE DETAINED AND COULD FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES.

Be very, very diligent with assessing your travels through India.