KATHMANDU, APR 28 -
As Chinese-made MA60 aircraft landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport ( TIA
) on Sunday afternoon, it was welcomed by water canon salute, a rare
sight in the country's aviation history. Of course, it was an exciting
moment for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) as it was receiving a new
aircraft after a gap of 26 years.
Tourism Secretary Sushil Ghimire, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal,Wu Chuntai and senior officials of the NAC were there at the TIA to receive the aircraft.The hangar area at the TIA
witnessed a beehive of activities throughout the day, with Hindu
priests offering prayers wishing for good omen even before the plane’s
landing.
For the ailing NAC, the arrival of MA60 means a lot. Hard hit by two
crashes in less than a year, the national flag carrier hopes to revive
its domestic operations with a revamped fleet after its Chinese-made
aircraft on order are delivered. The national flag carrier's domestic
fleet consists of a single airworthy Twin Otter aircraft.
NAC, which has been incurring an annual loss amounting to Rs 170
million, hopes for a revival after the delivery of six Chinese-made
aircraft-two MA60 and four Harbin Y-12--by September-end this year. The
first of the Y12e planes is scheduled to arrive on June 30 and the rest
to be delivered by September 30.
NAC had signed a commercial agreement with AVIC International Holdings,
a Chinese government undertaking, to procure six aircraft in September
last year. As per the agreement, China had pledged to provide a
19-seater Harbin Y-12e and a 58-seater MA60 turboprop in grant and four
other aircraft-three Harbin Y-12e and one MA60-on soft loans.
The MA60 will be used on Biratnagar, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and
Bhadrapur routes. The smaller Y12e will operate on remote sectors,
including a number of tourist destinations. Experts said that Harbin
Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation that produces the Harbin Y-12 is an
alternative to the Twin Otter.
NAC has planned to put the aircraft into service starting from next
week. “Initially, the plane will be used on Dhangadhi, Bhairahawa and
Biratnagar routes,” said NAC general manager Madan Kharel.
After investigating its technical status, the Civil Aviation Authority
of Nepal (CAAN) is expected to give Air Operator Certificate in a week
to operate the plane.
“The additional of new planes will enable us to increase our flights on
trunk routes too. This will enhance our position in the domestic
aviation market,” said Ram Hari Sharma, spokesperson for NAC. “We will
announce our fares for new routes within 2-3 days.”
With the MA60 joining its fleet, Sharma claimed NAC could offer
airfares at 20-25 percent lower than that of the private airline
operators. “However, we are yet to decide on that.”
Nepal Airlines flew 20,591 passengers, down 44.15 percent year on year, in 2013.
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