More than 120,000 people born in Nepal live in Australia (2021 Census), many of them students, and the December–January break is when most of them fly home. There is still no non-stop between Australia and Nepal, so every trip is a one-stop journey through Asia — and with school holidays starting in mid-December, the cheap seats on those connections go first.
When the 2026–27 break falls
Universities finish first. UNSW's Term 3 exams end on 10 December, and the University of Melbourne's semester 2 exams finish in late November, with semester 1 of 2027 starting on 1 March. Schools close a week or so before Christmas, and that is when family fares jump: everyone flying with children is travelling in the same three weeks.
| State | Term 4 ends | Term 1 2027 starts |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Thu 17 Dec 2026 | Thu 28 Jan (Eastern) / Thu 4 Feb (Western) |
| Victoria | Fri 18 Dec 2026 | Wed 27 Jan (students Thu 28 Jan) |
| Queensland | Fri 11 Dec 2026 | Wed 27 Jan |
| Western Australia | Thu 17 Dec 2026 | Mon 1 Feb |
The routes home
Southeast Asian hubs usually win on both price and total time. Kuala Lumpur has the most choice, with Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air Malaysia both flying to Kathmandu and to every big Australian city. Singapore Airlines is the only airline flying non-stop between Singapore and Kathmandu. Thai flies to Kathmandu daily from Bangkok, and China Southern connects through Guangzhou.
Perth is the shortest trip home (roughly 11–16 hours with the stop); from the east coast allow 15–21 hours. The Gulf is an option through Doha, but this year showed its risk: fighting in West Asia shut Gulf airspace and Qatar Airways' Doha hub for weeks in March and April 2026. Services have since resumed.
| Via | Airlines to Kathmandu | From |
|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air Malaysia | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide |
| Singapore | Singapore Airlines (daily) | All major cities |
| Bangkok | Thai Airways (daily) | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth |
| Guangzhou | China Southern | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide |
| Delhi | Air India | Sydney, Melbourne |
When to book
For peak school-holiday travel, Australian fare guides suggest booking 12–20 weeks ahead — which, for a mid-December departure, means now. The dearest departures cluster in the days just before Christmas and around New Year; flying out in the first week of December, or on Christmas Day itself, is often cheaper.
Students, check whether your break starts before the school rush: leaving in the second week of December, before the state schools close, can save more than any fare alert.
Search the whole region, not one airport: a cheaper fare from another Australian city plus a domestic hop sometimes beats flying from your own.
Arriving in Kathmandu in winter
December and January bring morning fog to Kathmandu. On 29 January 2026 the airport shut from 7:20 am when visibility fell to 500 m, and incoming flights from Doha and Dubai were held over Simara; diversions to Varanasi or Bhairahawa happen most winters. Leave a generous gap before any onward domestic flight, and avoid a tight same-day connection to Pokhara or Bhadrapur.
Recent winters have also brought overnight runway closures at Tribhuvan International Airport for maintenance. None had been announced for 2026–27 when this was written — check again in November if your flight lands late at night.
What's on at home
Christmas (25 December) is a public holiday in Nepal, and Tamu Lhosar, the Gurung new year, follows on 30 December. Prithvi Jayanti falls on 11 January and Maghe Sankranti — sel roti, ghee and chaku — on 15 January, so a late-January return catches all of them.