Royal Nepal Airlines (RNA) will for the first time begin flights to Kuala Lumpur from Kathmandu and resume suspended flights to Singapore sometime in March, a RNA source said.

The Airlines board took the decision Wednesday, he said. The flights will begin sometime in March depending on aircraft availability as one of two Boeings in the RNA fleet is going for a routine but mandatory maintenance check, he added.

Thousands of Nepalis working in Malaysia have been demanding direct flights to Malaysia and the opening of a Malaysian consulate in Kathmandu to save millions of rupees in travel costs and hassles.

Malaysia and Nepal do not need to sign a civil aviation accord to begin flights because Malaysia has an open sky policy. “Just a formal notification to the Malaysian government will be enough to begin operations,” the source said.