KATHMANDU : Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Yogesh Bhattarai, has directed Nepal Airlines Corporation to immediately begin the process of procuring new aircrafts.
During an interaction program with NAC’s Executive Chairman and departmental chiefs, Bhattarai instructed the leaders of the state-owned airlines corporation to purchase aircrafts to make flights to mountainous, hilly and remote areas of the country.
Stating that the available two Twin Otter aircrafts were not sufficient to meet the demands of domestic flights to remote areas of the country, he asked the airlines’ management to immediately start the procurement of new planes.
He also directed the NAC management to hold discussions with the Citizens Investment Trust, Employees Provident Fund and the Ministry of Finance on finding a suitable time and modality to convert the state-owned airlines company into a public company.
According to Civil Aviation Minister Bhattarai, the commercial use of lands in 23 places could help the ailing airlines company in improving its financial health. The debt-laden airlines company has been forking out billions of rupees on the repayment of its loans. Austerity along with cost-cutting measures like discharging employees abroad, slashing meeting allowances and rolling back airfare discount by 50 percent for board directors, employees and retired staff would help in turning around the flag carrier company of the country, according to Minister Bhattarai.
