Nepal Airlines is planning to purchase five aircraft on the domestic route. Nepal Airlines plans to repurchase aircraft after thwarting the business strategy drawn up three years earlier.
The technical departments, as well as commercial departments, intend to purchase the aircraft. It has decided that five aircraft will procure for the time being, according to the officials involved in the preparation.
‘Flying on the trunk route involves at least two aircraft, and three aircraft are required to fly in remote areas. However, that is our study of methodology. It will get settled later when it will forward to the Ministry of Finance or the Prime Minister, “said an official active planning phase.
Just three planes are available for domestic flights since Nepal Airlines agreed never to fly the aircraft taken down from China. Authorities at the airlines have claimed they are too old to be financially competitive.
Notwithstanding the expert opinion which five aircraft should get acquired, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has announced that aircraft traveling in rural areas should be purchased promptly and that the aircraft operating on trunk routes in the second process should be acquired.
Throughout a ministry meeting on Wednesday, Minister Yogesh Bhattarai ordered Nepal Airlines authorities to prepare to acquire aircraft for flying in rural areas urgently.
A provisional study prepared, suggesting that airlines with three twin-engine aircraft capable of operating in remote areas would purchase at least the same aircraft capable of competing with other airlines’ (72-seat aircraft) on the trunk road. It has expected that purchasing all these aircraft would cost at least Rs 9 billion.
The finance ministry plays a crucial role in buying aircraft through Nepal Airlines and the tourism ministry. Until Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli approves, an aircraft cannot be purchased either.
Nepal Airlines cannot purchase its own aircraft. It should go for the loan process in which the Government of Nepal should take a guarantee.
