Kathmandu, September 11
The Ministry of Finance has given Nepal Airlines Corporation the go-ahead for the purchase of two wide-body aircraft.
Minister for Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara gave his nod for the purchase during a meeting with a team comprising Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Jivan Bahadur Shahi, Tourism Secretary Prem Rai and NOC General Manager Sugat Ratna Kamshakar.
If all goes well, the two planes are likely to arrive in Nepal within mid-October, 2017 and mid-April, 2017, respectively
The procurement will require around Rs 25 billion, it is learnt. During the meeting, the team told Mahara that they are preparing to invite the tender for procurement in the second week of Mangsir (November-end, 2016) and reach an agreement on plane procurement around February 26, 2017.
If all goes well, the two planes are likely to arrive in Nepal by Asoj, 2074 (within mid-October, 2017) and Chaitra, 2074 (within mid-April, 2017), respectively.
Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara reportedly said at the meeting: The finance ministry is ready to be the guarantor, so move the plane procurement process forward
A source quoted Mahara as saying during the meeting: The finance ministry is ready to be the guarantor, so move the plane procurement process forward.
The flag-carrier plans to fly different destinations like Japan, Australia, Republic of Korea, India and China. It has already started the process for the recruitment of pilots and flight attendants.
