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India-Nepal aviation talks

KATHMANDU: Senior Indian and Nepal aviation officials went into an unscheduled fourth day of talks here on Saturday to iron out the final points on a resumption of Indian Airlines flights.

The flights were cut following the hijacking of New Delhi-bound flight on Christmas Eve, hurting both the airline and Nepal's tourism industry.

The Indian negotiators, who were due to leave Friday night, put their departure back 24-hours after making telephone contact with the Nepalese Civil Aviation team leader Hari Bhakta Shrestha, a Nepalese source said.

Agreement had been reached on most points regarding security at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), but the Indian team wanted additional items included on rechecking passengers and their baggage.

India has agreed to provide similar facilities for Royal Nepalese Airlines flights landing at Indian Airports. AFP