Nepal Airlines buys two A-320s

The planes will come with so-called "sharklets", fin-like devices fixed at the end of wings to reduce fuel burn and will be fitted with a navigation technique called RNP that allows aircraft to fly precisely along a specific path.

Airbus said in the statement that RNP would be "particularly useful for operations at high altitude airports, which are constrained by mountains such as in Kathmandu."

"For a landlocked nation, aviation really is our window to the world and the world's window to us," said Madan Kharel, managing director of Nepal Airlines.

"Adding the A320 to our fleet will help us to capitalise on tourism growth and enhance our network using fuel efficient aircraft," he added.

Nepal Airlines, founded in 1958, currently flies to four international destinations and 25 domestic airports in the heart of the Himalayas.

Planes are a key method of transport in the mountainous country, where some remote areas can be accessed more easily by air than by road.

Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge