NAC hopeful of other Boeing returning

Kathmandu, July 6:

After months of delay the other Boeing 757 of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) is finally coming home tomorrow, if NAC officials are to be believed.

“The aircraft will land at Tribhuwan International Airport tomorrow afternoon and fly to Kuala Lumpur at 23:30 hours. Our crew have already reached Brunei to bring the plane back to Kathmandu,” Raju KC, NAC commercial director said adding that immediately after its arrival it will fly to Kuala Lumpur. “The flight to Kuala Lumpur is fully packed,” he said.

The aircraft with registration 9N-ACA was sent to Brunei last August for C-check but could not return within the stipulated time as its engine was installed on another Boeing 757. The maximum time required for a C-check is two months.

“The aircraft couldn’t return on time because of the delay in engine repairing. Even after the engine was installed, the aircraft developed other technical problems. It took time to repair those problems. Now the aircraft is sound,” KC said.

NAC, that once boasted more than a dozen aircraft with four Boeings, has at present just one Boeing and three Twin Otters in operation. It celebrated its golden jubilee last week.

Shyam Thapaliya of Osho World Travels, a sales agent of NAC, expressed his happiness over the return of NAC’s second Boeing and starting of its flight operations from tomorrow.

“It is good news for us as we are facing acute shortage of air seats. The resumption of flights by both aircraft at the start of the new tourist season will help bring more visitors to Nepal. We have already started taking bookings even without being sure of the aircraft’s arrival,” Thapaliya added.

After bringing its second Boeing back in operation, NAC has plans to resume flights to Shanghai and Osaka and increase flight frequency on the New Delhi-Kathmandu route to seven flights a week. NAC has also published its revised flight schedule.

Last Tuesday, NAC cancelled its flight to Delhi and on Thursday it cancelled its flight to Hong Kong due to poor load reasons.