NAC chair positive on bringing strategic partner

Kathmandu, February 12

Tourism Secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari has suggested the management of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to either bring a strategic partner or adopt a company model for operation of NAC.

While assuming his duty as NAC’s new Chairperson today, Adhikari urged the management to come up with a concrete turnaround plan for NAC.

“Even though NAC is a state-owned company, the government is very positive about switching the operational modality of NAC,” he said, adding, “The government is also ready to amend the rules if the NAC decides to adopt the company modality.”

He added that administrative improvement is equally important to rope in investors.

“A lot of airline companies had to be shut down due to their weak management. Learning from such incidents, it is very important to change the operation modality of the NAC,” he said, further directing the NAC management to conduct a study and table a proposal to the corporation’s board as soon as possible.

Stating that tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, he added, “As a national flag carrier, NAC has to play a significant role in development of the country’s tourism sector.”

All the department heads of NAC briefed Adhikari about current status of national flag carrier. The post of NAC board chairman had become vacant after former executive chairman Madan Kharel resigned on January 20.