KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 22
The national flag carrier has locked horns with the aviation authority over reduction in number of permitted flights to the Indian capital from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
Issuing a statement today, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has stated that its income has been dented and it is having to bear additional costs of rerouting passengers after the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) slashed the number of New Delhi flights from TIA.
In a bid to manage the air traffic at TIA and for effective utilisation of Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA), CAAN had reduced the number of NAC flights in the Kathmandu-Delhi sector to 10 per week from 14 earlier since October 30.
An NAC official, seeking anonymity, told The Himalayan Times that reduction of four flights per week during peak season had caused a weekly loss of around Rs 90.5 million to the national flag carrier.
"We'd been operating two Kathmandu-Delhi flights per day at near full occupancy, which was one of the major income sources for NAC," the official said, adding, "Our business was slowly recovering with the easing of COVID-related travel restrictions and we were also being able to gradually clear our dues after three years."
Terming the CAAN's move to reduce NAC's historical slots in the Kathmandu-Delhi sector as a 'forceful and unilateral decision', the official claimed that it is not economically viable to operate flights in Kathmandu-Delhi-Bhairahawa-Kathmandu sector without proper study.
NAC's statement said that the flights in the Kathmandu-Delhi sector are also crucial for Nepalis seeking medical treatments and students opting for higher studies in India, as well as business promotion and connection to third countries.
As per the statement, the NAC had sought permission to conduct 56 flights per week on September 15, of which the CAAN gave permission for only 42 flights on October 23.
However, CAAN's Information Officer Gyanendra Bhul said that the authority was compelled to reduce NAC's flights to Delhi as the corporation was dilly-dallying in operating the flights from GBIA.
As per the instruction of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and the CAAN, the NAC has now decided to operate four flights from GBIA - Kathmandu-Delhi-Bhairahawa-Kathmandu.
As per Bhul, NAC has proposed to conduct one Kathmandu-Delhi-Bhairahawa-Kathmandu flight in between November 28 and 30 and four flights in the sector thereafter.
"As there will be a difference in actual time of arrival at TIA on this route, we're waiting for the time slot. Moreover, in this route the passengers of Bhairahawa will not be able to fly directly to Delhi. Hence, we're planning to request NAC to conduct Kathmandu-Bhairahawa-Delhi and Delhi-Bhairahawa-Kathmandu flights."
Bhul said the time slot from TIA is expected tomorrow, following which the authority will discuss changing the flight route with the NAC.
Apart from Kuwaiti air carrier Jazeera Airways, no airline had shown any inclination to operate from GBIA citing nonviability of business at the national pride project that cost the exchequer over Rs 30 billion.
Currently, Himalayan Airlines has been operating charter flights from GBIA to Malaysia since November 3.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 23, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
