-KATHMANDU
The Stated Owned Flag Carrier of Nepal, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has secured third position in comparison with other international flight carriers (conducting flights in Nepal) in terms of numbers of passengers being served from Nepal to various destinations and vice-versa via air route.
According to the statistics data of first three-months of 2018 maintained by Tribhuvan International Airport, the national flag carrier has carried 89,214 passengers in and out of Nepal between January and March. The report has also manifested that Jet Airways, an private airline operator of India had topped the list with 127,823 air passengers. Likewise, the flag carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways has secured the second position with 105,698 passengers.
As per TIA, nearly 1.1 million air travellers used the country’s only international airport in the review period.
NAC enters the 60th year of its establishment completing 59th years of its commercial flight operation service. In past years of its establishment the national flag carrier failed to make any meaningful progress. It had no adequate aircraft to cater international services. The NAC’s situation that worsened with the advent of democracy in 1990 due to corruption has now been improved to some extent.
NAC’s track record is set to continue further as it is nearing to take delivery of two wide-body Airbus A330 jets. The corporation has a reasonable flight fare as compared to other airlines. Moreover, nationals of Nepal highly prefer to fly in an aircraft with country’s flag and livery.
The corporation presently owns two Airbus A320 and a Boeing 757 aircraft for international flight operation however; the two Airbus A320s have been bearing all the flight pressures following the lengthy grounding of one Airbus A320 and a vintage Boeing 757 ‘9N-ACB’ aircraft.
The Carrier had aimed ambitious plan after the arrival of its first ever wide body jet Airbus A330 aircraft. Managing Director for NAC, Sugat Ratna Kansakar said that the airline had aimed to fly the new wide-body aircraft to New York upon its arrival on the July this year. Our destination is up to London after the arrival of wide-body aircraft but then after New York will be our next hub said Kansakar. And we need to extend our wings up to Sydney, Japan, Korea, Dammam and European cities, he added. Before 2046 NAC used to fly over 11 international destinations but now, it flies to only 8 intl’ destinations including Hongkong, Bangkok, Malaysia, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Doha and Dubai.
