Nepal Airlines Corporation has been planning to buy new aircraft and has agreed not to fly a Chinese aircraft. Yogesh Bhattarai stated Nepal Airlines is intending to withdraw operating the Chinese aircraft. He further added that Nepal Airlines has informed the ministry regarding the loss while operating the Chinese Aircraft. Which makes it impossible to fly Chinese Aircraft in Nepal’s Sky.
“Nepal Airlines is in financial crisis” that’s not really a new word that we noted from the last decades. Nepal Airlines has already been seen to have no new plans to fly the widebody and A320 for greater profitability.
The problems that torment the state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) really aren’t unique: mismanagement, political meddling, negligence, and incapacity for foreign competition. However, rather than make progress after adding four new jets in the past, the situation has exacerbated.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has sought the Ministry of Finance’s opinion on the management of six Chinese aircraft which seems impossible to manage by Nepal Airlines Corporation. Minister of Civil Aviation, Yogesh Bhattarai has said the Aircraft management process would move forward according to the Ministry of Finance opinion. Nepal Airlines is now planning to buy a new aircraft for domestic flights after Chinese aircraft were grounded, Minister Bhattarai said.
“In domestic flights, Nepal Airlines needs a presence. That needs reliable Aircraft. Therefore, we are planning for that.” Bhattarai Said.
Minister Bhattarai said preparations are being made to bring in more aircraft to fill the shortfall of domestic flights from Chinese aircraft withdrawal. He told Nepal Airlines is doing the groundwork.
Nepal’s government is still unable to reimburse the aircraft loan. The ministry would then prepare a plan and submit it to the council of the Minister on the basis of an opinion given by the ministry of finance. Earlier, Nepal Airlines had written a letter to the ministry agreeing not to operate all the six aircraft from July 31. The airline had asked the government to manage the aircraft.
Nepal Airlines has concluded final preparations to fly to Saudi Arabia, China, and South Korea, as soon as the COVID effect comes to an end, as per Bhattarai.
Chinese aircraft to Nepal Airlines; huge loss
Nepal Airlines’ domestic fleet consisting of two Chinese Xian MA60 with 56 seats each, four Chinese Harbin Y12E with 17 seats each, and three old De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otters with 19 seats. One Y12E met runway excursion on March 28 and just one of the Y12E is airworthy. One of the two MA60 was already grounded for two years, due to the lack of spares.
“Nepal Airlines has six Chinese aircraft but is not appropriate for flying in Nepal”. One of the officials from Nepal Airlines Said.
He said the private competition could not keep up with it. He did not imply the new manufacturer name.
Nepal Airlines Corporation also urged the government for Rs 4 billion to purchase new airplanes to operate mountainside airfields, as the Chinese aircraft in their domestic fleet prove to be more troublesome than they value.
The state-owned airline wants to acquire five aircraft that are appropriate for Nepali skies and is capable of competing with private operators which always seem to be a step ahead.
A Nepal Airlines technical team visited China in November 2011 to examine the aircraft, after the Ministry of Finance asked the Chinese Embassy at Kathmandu whether the northern neighbor would’ve been comfortable in granting Nepal planes.
Twin-Otter is another option?
Nepal Airlines, moreover, already had submitted a request from the Ministry of Finance to purchase five new Twin Otters in 2018. The private company of Nepal is flying with Dornier 228, Let L-410, DE Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter for STOL Routes.
Termination of Pilot Flying the Chinese Aircraft
Nepal Airlines accommodates the employees after it has agreed not to fly the plane brought from China. Nepal Airlines has declined to extend the existing employees’ contract and transfer the permanent one. In the meantime, the company bid farewell to four captains hired to operate the aircraft. The airline has already dismissed two captains, Shatis Bikram Shah and Rajendraman Shakya, who served MA-60. Fijonath Nepali and Suraj Upadhyay Luitel, who flew models of the Y12E, were also dismissed.
The airlines agreed to ground the aircraft claiming their insufficient pilots and spare parts, and were not suitable for commercial flights in remote areas.
EU Blacklist: Chinese Aircraft might be the Reason
The European Union (EU) has been blacklisting Nepali airspace for the last seven and a half years. The European Commission (EC) under the European Union (EU) has decided not to remove Nepal’s airspace from the blacklist. The commission has been blacklisting Nepali airspace since December 2013. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the aviation regulatory body, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal had been claiming that it had been removed from the blacklist by December last year.
The EU had blacklisted Nepali airspace after the Nepal Airlines Corporation agreed to purchase Chinese aircraft. Since then, the EU has been accused of blacklisting Chinese aircraft. With the decision of the management of Nepal Airlines Corporation to replace the Chinese aircraft, it is being speculated that it will be easier for the EU to remove Nepali airspace from the blacklist.
Chinese Manufacturers companies are now the main target of American and European, which dominate the world.
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