Miscellaneous
Nepal mulls flying in fuel to beat blockade
Nepal mulls over importing fuel by air, recalling an episode of 26 years ago when aircraft transported vital kerosene to beat a land blockade imposed by India.Nepal mulls over importing fuel by air, recalling an episode of 26 years ago when aircraft transported vital kerosene to beat a land blockade imposed by India.
In 1989, planes of the then Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation had brought fuel from Bangladesh to keep the kitchen fires burning after the southern neighbour sealed the border.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation directed Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) on Monday to submit its action plan whether aviation turbine fuel can be flown in from Bangladesh and other nearby points by its jets. The government has also decided to request China to export aviation turbine fuel (ATF) if Nepal runs short of it. Government officials expect the fuel problem to worsen due to the unofficial trade embargo mounted by India. A meeting held between the ministry, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) and NAC on Monday discussed the fuel issue amid fears that shortages could lead to domestic flights being affected.
The current stock of aviation fuel for international carriers may last seven days while there are adequate stocks for domestic carriers to last at least a month. The daily requirement of ATF by domestic and international carriers stands at 50,000 litres and 116,666 litres respectively.
According to Pramod Nepal, assistant spokesman for the ministry, the national carrier has been directed to submit its action plan about how the possible aviation fuel shortage can be averted.
Likewise, the ministry has also directed Caan to hold discussions whether the international carriers connecting Nepal could supply aviation fuel to the government.
Rajesh Raj Dali, former director general of Caan, said that one of NAC’s two Boeing 757s could be used for both passenger and cargo operations. “However, a technical study of the jet should be conducted to see whether it can be used to ferry petroleum products,” he said.
On Saturday, the government had requested international carriers to refuel in smaller quantities at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu. Likewise, domestic airlines have been asked to refuel at airports in the Tarai.
For cross-border international flights or short-haul sectors like India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and China, the government has requested the airlines to fill their fuel tanks to the maximum
capacity in their respective airports of origin, so that they won’t need to refuel at TIA. For long-haul operators, particularly Gulf carriers, the government has requested them to take in 15-20 percent less fuel at TIA.
Most international airlines have started to reduce their refuelling at Kathmandu. However, airline officials said that if more efforts were not put into resolving the issues, it could have a serious impact on the operation of the aviation industry.