Nepal Airlines apologizes after map shows J&K in Pakistan
What's the story
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has apologized after a promotional graphic that incorrectly depicted Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan went viral on social media. The error was first noticed on Wednesday when the airline posted a route map on its social media handles. The map showed the union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh as part of Pakistan instead of India.
Public reaction
Map error leads to outrage on social media
The map error quickly sparked a major controversy on social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Indian users accused the airline, Nepal's national flag carrier, of "cartographic aggression," leading to the hashtag #BoycottNepalAirlines trending. Users tagged the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and the Civil Aviation Ministry demanding a formal diplomatic protest.
Twitter Post
The map that caused controversy
India has kept Nepal’s economy breathing for decades… open borders, jobs for lakhs of Nepalis, trade access via Indian ports, fuel pipelines, power projects, disaster relief, infrastructure, scholarships, even military cooperation.
— Divya Gandotra Tandon (@divya_gandotra) April 29, 2026
And this is how Nepal Airlines responds?
A… pic.twitter.com/fbc7IxA8ds
Official response
Nepal Airlines deletes post, issues apology
In light of the backlash, Nepal Airlines deleted the post by 10:00am and issued an apology. The airline attributed the error to a "technical oversight" by a third-party creative agency. "Nepal Airlines Corporation sincerely apologizes for the inadvertent error in a recent social media post regarding the depiction of regional maps," read their statement.
Future measures
Airline promises to tighten checks on future promotional material
The airline also stressed its respect for the territorial integrity of all neighboring nations. It said it would tighten checks on all future promotional material to avoid such mistakes, adding that it is "conducting an internal review to ensure our materials meet the highest standard of accuracy." "We hold the highest respect for the territorial integrity of all our neighboring nations," it said.