The Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has done satisfactory business in the international flight sector despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. NAC 25 per cent share in the international destinations in 2020. Since limited number of international airlines operated during the pandemic, the NAC saw an increase in its trade in international flights from 17.80 per cent in 2019 to 25 per cent in 2020, said NAC's corporate director Archana Khadka.
NAC had recorded satisfactory trade share in 2019 too, said Khadka. Similarly, in 2018, the trade share was recorded at 11.3 per cent and 9.70 per cent in 2017. Towards the international flights, the NAC has presently two wide-body and two narrow-body aircraft to cover nine destinations including three in India. It has been operating flights to New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore (India), Narita (Japan), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong, Bangkok (Thailand), Doha (Qatar) and Dubai (UAE).
Thirty airlines companies including three domestic ones provide international flights from Nepal.
NAC executive chair Yubaraj Adhikari said the NAC has proceeded towards the effective handling of available aircraft and procuring the new ones as it intends to expand its service in the international destinations.
Before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, it was working on a proposal to include South Korea and China in its list of foreign destinations, but the scheme remains immaterialized due to the crisis.
Future plans
The NAC has set a plan of procuring 14 more planes for international flight service within the next six years. It targets to get six wide-body and eight narrow body planes by 2027. The drafting of five-year plan for the procurement of aircraft is in progress, according to him.
The NAC is preparing action plan to operate international flights to London, Sydney or Tokyo, Kolkata, Guangzhou, Colombo, Sanghai, Inchon, Ahmadabad, Riyadh, Indonesia and Frankfurt within six years.
It has also made a final preparation to operate flights to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia twice in a week. The NAC has increased its flights to Dubai as well as made a plan to operate flights to three destinations of India.
However, NAC's business in the domestic sector has not been the same. The NAC management said they could not expand the trade towards the domestic sector due to the shortage of planes. It only has two Twin Otter airplanes towards the domestic sector which have been flying to 17 from Kathmandu to Taplejung, Bhojpur, Thamkharka, Lukla, Khanidanda, Phaplu and Dang, and from Nepalgunj to Bajura, Simkot, Jumla, Rukum, Talcha, Bjhang, Sanfebagar and Doti in the western sector.
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