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NAC to put Chinese aircraft back in air
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has decided to put its grounded Y12e aircraft back in the air by mid-September in time for the Dashain travel rush.Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has decided to put its grounded Y12e aircraft back in the air by mid-September in time for the Dashain travel rush.
The China-gifted plane has been resting in a hangar at Tribhuvan International Airport for more than nine months for lack of pilots.
After the 17-seater Y12e aircraft returns to service, the corporation will have four aircraft—two Twin Otters, an MA60 and Y12e—to handle the upcoming festive rush on domestic routes. China had gifted a Y12e and an MA60 aircraft to NAC as part of a deal for six Chinese aircraft—two MA60 and four Y12e.
Domestic airlines face an extremely high traffic load during the autumn festive season as a large number of people working or studying in the Kathmandu Valley return home to celebrate Dashain with their families. The Dashain travel rush, a long-held tradition, is considered to be the largest annual migration in Nepal.
“With four aircraft in service, we will be utilizing them to their optimum during the Dashain and Tihar festivals,” said Shailesh Kansakar, assistant spokesperson for NAC. “Out of the four aircraft, three will serve remote airfields,” he said, adding that the Y12e would also serve some trunk routes.
Although the Y12e aircraft is in an airworthy condition, NAC has not been able to fly it after its instructor pilot Aangnuri Sherpa resigned recently. “NAC had prepared the instructor pilot, but he resigned unexpectedly greatly affecting the preparation of a regular flight schedule,” said Buddhi Sagar Lamichhane, joint secretary at the Tourism Ministry.
“We have decided to hire another instructor pilot from Tonga,” he said. All the formalities are likely to be completed soon, said Lamichhane, who is also a board member of NAC.
According to Kansakar, they have targeted flying the Y12e by mid-September. NAC has also been planning to repair a third Twin Otter which has been out of service for years.
Nepal’s domestic air passenger movement continued to shrink for four straight years, dropping 5.96 percent in 2015, as a series of disasters struck the country denting travel demand. However, Nepal Airlines saw a growth in passenger movement in 2015.