Kathmandu, September 12:

Armed with two craft, Flying Dragon Airlines, the first Nepali-Chinese private joint-venture airline, is set to begin operations in the domestic sector this week. The airline is scheduled to fly to destinations in the far western region, with Nepalgunj as a base. The airline’s two Y-12 II craft were brought to Tribhuwan International Airport at 10.30 am yesterday, said Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s Office of Aviation Safety department. Both craft, according to him, have been built by a Chinese company called Harbin Aircraft. “We will begin flights to the far western region from Nepalgunj this week,” Anoj Giri, operation manager at the Flying Dragon Airlines (FDA) told this daily. The airline will fly to Dolpa, Surkhet, Bajang and Simikot, to begin with, and will expand operations to other sectors such as Bajura, Chaurighari, Jomsom and Lukla later.

FDA will hold regular scheduled and cargo flights to the concerned areas with its two airplanes having a seat capacity of 15 and 17, severally. So far, the airline has received permits to fly to 10 destinations within the country. A third craft, Y-12 IV, will be added to the fleet once its business picks up in the aviation industry, according to Giri. Nepalis own 51 per cent shares in this first joint-venture airline in the country while Chinese investors hold 49 per cent, as per government regulations. Reportedly, Harbin Aircraft too has shares in FDA. The airline, according to Giri, is being launched to cater to the demands of people in the remote areas. “Our objective is to provide reliable and quality service to our passengers rather than focussing on money-spinning strategies,” he said.