Nepal Airlines: Concludes to buy two wide body aircraft
The study subcommittee of the highest level authority of the management of national flag carrier Nepal Airlines has submitted its report concluding that only the operation of two wide body aircraft will help the airlines to cover a major share of the international aviation service. This study subcommittee formed before two months and leaded by the Director of Nepal Airlines Sugat Ratna Kansakar after studying and investigating the various aspects of the industry concluded this essentially of only wide body aircraft. The addition of two wide body jets will only help Nepal Airlines to increase the coverage of present market ratio and to fly the long haul routes of Europe, America, Australia, China and South Korea.
The subcommittee has concluded in report that two Airbus 330-200 series aircraft will be most suitable aircraft for Nepal Airlines in the present scenario. The report has been submitted to operation department said the member of the subcommittee and corporate director of Nepal Airlines Ram Hari Sharma. The operation department will initiate the final procedures according to the reports and the buying process will come to conclusion soon he added.
Analyzing this need of two wide body aircraft, the management committee of Nepal Airlines has already initiated the procurement of cost needed to buy the aircraft. They are working for the loan arrangement from national and private financial companies of the county as well as including the international finance companies as another option.
The airlines is planning to buy Airbus 330-200 series aircraft of Airbus as in the report which will have capacity of 250 to 280 seats for flying the long sector routes. The report also concluded its need according to the demand of the travelers. The last two jets delivered by Nepal Airlines are also produced by Airbus. The two 320-200 series aircraft have capacity of 158 seats. Nepal Airlines also has 2 jets from Boeing of 757 series which are 3 decades old. These aircraft were manufactured in America and have capacity of 190 seats.
Airbus 320 series aircraft cannot fly long haul routes. This narrow body aircraft can fly only for 4 hours in 1 leg and doesn’t have seat capacity equal to even Boeing 757. The 330-200 series aircraft Nepal Airlines is planning to buy can do a continuous 9 to 10 hours flight in one leg. That is why it is essential to buy wide body aircraft according to an official of airlines. He also mentioned that they are planning to retire the 3 decades old Boeing airplanes after the wide body aircraft are delivered.
He further said that they have an option of buying same Boeing 757 series aircraft for the long route flying but, according to the determination of Nepal Airlines for buying only Airbus aircraft, they have initiated the process to buy the Airbus 330-200 series aircraft. And it is essential for Nepal Airlines to buy the wide body as more than a half dozen of international airlines flying into Nepal are operating with their wide body aircraft.
The officials claim that if proper arranges are done and things work with proper devotion, the airlines will be able to deliver its first wide body aircraft within a year. The first aircraft will fly to Tokyo, Japan or Seoul, South Korea according to the marketing plan of airline. Similarly the second wide body can be delivered within 3 to 4 months from the delivery date of first one.
The global tender will be released for all the international companies who can provide this series aircraft in lease, other international airlines which can provide the aircraft produced later than 2014 in the industry.
Nepal Airlines has already flown on the long haul routes to Paris of France, London of United Kingdom, Frankfurt of Germany, Osaka of Japan and Shanghai of China. Following the delivery of two wide body aircraft they will buy another narrow bodied Airbus 320 series aircraft which will make total number of 8 aircraft for flying international routes contributing a share if 16% in the international service. The airline is planning to schedule 3/3 flights a week for Tokyo, Japan and Seoul, South Korea. The further planning includes extending its flights to Shanghai of China, Sydney of Australia and Dammam of Saudi Arab after initiating its flight to Japan and Korea. Dammam and Shanghai can be flown directly whereas Changi International Airport of Singapore would be used as transit for passengers flying to Sydney.
