Kathmandu, February 24
It has been almost eight months since the national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation, purchased two wide body aircraft.
The Corporation had planned to send the aircraft to new destinations including Japan, South Korea and China. However, the aircraft are carrying flights to regular destinations until now as the NAC is struggling to get permits from the new destination.
NAC officials say economic implications of the inability are serious. The aircraft have been unable to earn as much as expected; and it has widened the loss of the Corporation in overall, according to them.
Thanks to the failure to get approvals, the NAC is now confused on whether to appoint a global sales agent in Japan. It, however, has already appointed agents for China and Korea, according to co-spokesperson Nawa Raj Koirala.
It has been months since the NAC began procedures to acquire the permits, but no results have been achieved, the officials inform.
Few days ago, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari had met Chinese Ambassador to Nepal, Hou Yanqi to discuss Beijing’s delay in cooperating with the NAC.
Koirala hopes that the permits from China and Japan will be acquired soon, adding the Japan flights will begin around one month after that.
