NAC is planning to issue a third auction notice to sell off its Boeing 757 as the tender submitted by a lone foreign bidder was automatically invalidated as it arrived a day after the deadline. 

The extended deadline for submitting tenders ended on Monday and the tender document was delivered on Tuesday. 

“The tender document cannot be opened as it has come late and is automatically invalid,” said NAC’s chief Sugat Ratna Kansakar. “In line with the board decision, we will be issuing another notice.”   

The minimum sale price for the 30-year-old aircraft named Karnali and bearing registration number 9N-ACA has been set at $1.71 million. The corporation had put the jet up for auction on April 10. The deadline was extended on May 29. 

The aircraft has been sitting outside the NAC hangar at Tribhuvan International Airport since April 2016 following the corporation’s policy to phase out its Boeing fleet. 

NAC decided to retire the aircraft after conducting a cost-benefit analysis. Based on the operational cost analysis, it does not make sense to fly the aircraft, it said. The Boeing 757 burns 4 tonnes of fuel per hour compared to 2.5 tonnes for new aircraft.

The 9N-ACA arrived in Nepal in 1987 and flew on long-haul routes, displaying the national flag at world airports. The 757 holds 190 passengers. (PR)