Kathmandu, March 21: Nepal Airlines Corporation is preparing to expand its domestic and international flight services. The corporation has initiated the process of adding six new aircraft to support this expansion.
It has proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to purchase two Twin Otter aircraft, two ATR-72 aircraft, and two narrow-body aircraft. If immediate purchase is not possible, the corporation has suggested operating them on lease.
To enhance services, particularly in remote and high mountainous regions, the corporation has proposed a budget of around Rs 2.5 billion to acquire two Canadian-built 19-seater Twin Otter DHC-6 aircraft.
Similarly, to re-establish its presence on accessible (trunk) routes such as Biratnagar, Bhadrapur, and Dhangadhi, the corporation plans to purchase two 72-seater ATR-72 series aircraft. It estimates that about Rs 5.5 billion will be required for this acquisition.
If purchasing ATR aircraft is not feasible, the proposal also includes the option of leasing them to immediately start services. According to Executive Director Amrit Man Shrestha, due to the lack of aircraft, the corporation has been unable to operate flights to some domestic destinations it previously served.
Director Shrestha stated that since flights have been suspended even on previously served routes, the proposal prioritizes purchasing aircraft or, if not possible, leasing them. He said, “We do not have sufficient aircraft for domestic operations. It has become necessary to propose new aircraft to connect hilly and mountainous districts to air transport and to compete on trunk routes.”
The corporation has begun preparations to include this plan in the government’s policy and program for the upcoming fiscal year 2083–84 (BS). Currently, out of the three Twin Otter aircraft owned by the corporation, two are operating flights to remote areas such as Rukum, Jumla, Surkhet, Taplejung, and Phaplu.
The corporation also plans to repair and bring back into operation one Twin Otter aircraft that has been grounded at Tribhuvan International Airport since 2013, at a cost of Rs 400 million.
In the context of strong competition in domestic flights from private airlines like Buddha Air and Yeti Airlines, the corporation aims to increase its market share by introducing ATR-72 aircraft of a similar class.
On the international front, the corporation believes that adding two narrow-body aircraft will significantly help expand flight frequency and destinations.
NAC, operating in profit until the 1990 political change, became a victim of political intervention and turned into a venue making commissions for the political leaders.
Aviation experts suggest keeping the NAC free from political intervention and running it under a public-private partnership model. Rather than appointing political activists, professionals should be assigned as the executive head of the NAC, and it should be operated as a public limited company.
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