-KATHMANDU, ANN
Nepal Airlines, the State Carrier has charted 19 flights within a month after the Nepal Government has banned International and Domestic Flights carrying passengers since Chaitra 10. In between this time period, passengers of different nationalities have been airlifted by charted flights and many cargo flights have been conducted too.
In total, Nepal Airlines has operated 11 flights in the domestic sector. Foreigners and Tourists who were stranded at various places of Nepal after lockdown were rescued and medical supplies and swab samples of COVID 19 had been brought for testing from various parts of country to Kathmandu by conducting the domestic flights. Nepal Airlines had operated 7 chartered flights to Lukla and 4 to Nepalgunj.
Likewise Nepal Airlines has done 8 chartered International flights. Nepal Airlines made 4 flights to Guangzhou with their widebody Airbus A330 aircraft to fetch essential medical supplies. A chartered flight was conducted to Brisbane in Australia and the other to Narita in Japan. In addition, two chartered flights were operated by the narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft. One was carrying Brazillian nationals to Delhi, India and the other was to Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Nepal Airlines has been widely criticized for charging more than NRs. 2.7 Million for the Brisbane flight to Australia. Due to widespread criticism, the agent’s commission was withdrawn under the direction of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Yogesh Bhattarai. The corporation has decided not to disclose the fares of the other 18 flights. Archana Khada, spokesperson of the corporation said that it was their internal matter, and the rate for the charter flight and the revenue from it could not be disclosed.
The corporation’s director of commerce, Tankanidhi Dahal also expressed his intention of not taking the matter out from the higher authorities. He had mentioned, “Only the Finance Department would have all detailed information regarding this matter.”
There have been 34 international flights from Tribhuvan International Airports in a period of a month of Lockdown. All of these are chartered flights. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal , Qatar Air has flown 9 flights on the top of all. Nepal Airlines has flown eight flights, UK’s Titan Airways has flown three times and Korean Airlines has flown two flights.
There were 34 flights in total from various operators like Etihad Air Arabia of Arabia, Czech Air of Czech Republic, Malaysian and Malindo of Malaysia, Druk Air of Bhutan, Royal Flight Air of Russia, Diplomatic Flight with US Embassy baggage, Sudan Flight of Shree Airlines and Buddha Air to Dhaka.
News Source: Ujyaloonline
