Nepal Airlines Corporation’s second wide-body aircraft is scheduled to touchdown at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Thursday morning.

NAC Spokesperson Rabindra Shrestha said the A330-200 jet named Makalu with the registration mark 9N-ALZ is expected to land at the TIA at 8:30am.

“We have planned to put the jet into commercial service from Sept 1 after completing all the necessary procedures set by the civil aviation regulator,” he said.

The arrival of the new aircraft will put the national flag carrier in the company of long-haul airlines. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, the jet has a capacity of 274 passengers in two-class cabin configuration, including 18 in business class.

The NAC had brought its first long-range A330-200 jet in Kathmandu on June 28. The arrival of two wide-body jets has been described as a ‘game-changing event’, allowing the NAC to compete with other international players on long-haul

routes in Europe, Japan and beyond.