"The direct flight will happen very soon. We are aware that SriLankan Airlines is now going into the final details of the establishment of direct flight so that the connectivity between the two countries will be strengthened further", he said, as reported Kantipur online.

There are already around 40,000 Sri Lankan tourists who visit Nepal every year. With the establishment of the direct air link, the Government is confident that this number will go up further. It also hopes that this will encourage Nepalis to visit Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has some of the oldest Buddhist shrines in the world and Nepalis will be able to come directly to Sri Lanka to visit these in the future, he added.