Nepal?s state-owned airline has dropped the Royal from its name, and in its new avatar as Nepal Airlines, is set to touch down in Calcutta again.

The airline had withdrawn operations in the late 1990s. ?Nepal Airlines will re-launch its operations by the end of this year,? said Aditya Baral, director, public relations and publicity department of Nepal Tourism Board.

?It will add another aircraft to its fleet soon and then it will be able to start operations between Kathmandu and Calcutta,? Baral said.

The airline currently has two Boeing 757 aircraft for its international operations.

The Boeing 757 has a capacity of 190 passengers, with a configuration of 16 business class and 174 economy class seats. According to Baral, the airline will go in for another Boeing 757 carrier.

Indian airline operates three flights and Cosmic Air two flights every week between Calcutta and Kathmandu.

Nepal Airlines now flies to Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. It also operates flights to popular Southeast Asian destinations, such as Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

?With peace restored, we are planning aggressively to market our tourism in Calcutta,? said G.P. Kusum, Nepal?s consul-general in the city.

Nepal tourism board officers say there was a three per cent slump in tourist flow during the insurgency.