Salary hike a most for NAC to retain pilots

June 9, 2017- Kathmandu

Nepal Airlines, the national flag carrier of Nepal has often been hit by shortage of trained pilots occasionally. The famine of pilots for NAC has often been the eye-catching headline for the majority of news dairies in the country.

Similarly, analyzing the current ongoing situation of Harbin Y12-e acquired by NAC the airlines has yet been hit by the lousy air operation of the aircraft prevailed by the lack of sufficient pilot in command to control the throttle of the Chinese aircraft. Flag carrier at one hand owns two Harbin-Y12e aircraft and at the other side has only a single Captain to operate the aircraft.

NAC had previously grounded two out of its three captains due to their ill and pathetic behavior. Meanwhile, one out of three was sacked and other is yet waiting for the ban to end. Thus the misbehavior of the pilot and the termination decision has resulted in troubling the airlines. NAC has recently hired a foreign pilot by paying eighteen lakhs per month.

Piloting career has always been admiring Nepali youths which as result the country today depart maximum Nepali youths abroad for the pilot training. The youths after completing and receiving their pilot license desperately return back to the country to join the flag carrier.

But soon after joining the airlines following the lengthy recruitment procedure, pilots get depressed with the amount received as their remuneration which as a result compels them to move on to the private flight operator to gain satisfactory income. Currently, the senior pilots for NAC are only paid Rs 2,50,000 to Rs3,00,000 per month while private operators pay at least Rs 5,00,000. So to attract new pilots and also to retain its current crew NAC needs to make an increment on the remuneration of its pilots.

Meanwhile, NAC too has come up with the decision to consider its lacking and have an increment on the payee. Nepal Airlines has already submitted its proposal of increasing the remuneration of the cockpit controller to the Tourism Ministry. Similarly, Tourism Ministry has forwarded the proposal to the Finance Ministry.

Previously, similar proposal requested by Nepal Airlines was denied by Financial Ministry following the Election Commission decision.

An official from Tourism Ministry reported that they had sent the proposal back again on 6 June 2017 after getting the go-ahead from the EC.

The senior pilot will be remunerated up to Rs4,50,000 per month as a salary and allowances after the approval from Election Commission, added official. Currently, senior pilots are only paid between Rs2,50,000 to Rs3,00,000 per month.