Kathmandu, December 24
Nepal Airlines Corporation has completely halted its domestic flight operations. The grounding of its only operational Twin Otter aircraft on Sunday has brought all domestic flights to a standstill.
Previously, the corporation was operating two Twin Otter planes. However, one had been grounded since May, leaving the airline with a single aircraft for domestic operations. With the second aircraft now grounded due to engine flight-hour limitations, Nepal Airlines has been forced to cease its domestic services entirely, confirmed spokesperson Ramesh Paudel.
“Of the two Twin Otters in operation, one had already been grounded, and now the other aircraft has also been grounded as its engine flight hours have expired. As a result, domestic flights have been halted since yesterday,” Paudel told Onlinekhabar.
Despite prior knowledge about the engine’s flight-hour expiration and an order placed for a replacement engine, the new engine has yet to arrive, Paudel stated.
“A tender was issued, and a contract was awarded, with the agreement that delivery would be made within 45 days. However, even after the deadline has passed, the delivery has not been made,” he explained. Attempts to utilise the existing engine as a temporary measure also proved unsuccessful, he added.
Nepal Airlines had been operating flights to 20 remote destinations using its two Twin Otter planes. With the suspension of domestic flights, passengers traveling to remote areas are now facing significant inconvenience.
