KATHMANDU, MAY 10

Nepal Airlines Corporation is sending its wide-body A-330 aircraft to Beijing tonight to fetch essential medical supplies.

The national flag-carrier, NAC, said the wide-body is flying to the capital of the People's Republic of China to fetch oxygen cylinders and ventilators being provided as grant assistance by the Chinese government.

It will fetch 400 units of oxygen cylinders and 20 ventilators to Nepal. The NAC wide-body plane will take off for Beijing at 11.30pm and return to Nepal tomorrow afternoon.

It will arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport at 2.35pm tomorrow.

NAC spokesperson Karishma Shrestha said NAC was sending the aircraft to pick up medical supplies at the request of the Ministry of Health and Population and in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

"Although it is stated that 20 ventilators will be brought from Beijing in this flight, we have been informed that the cargo includes only 10 units of ventilator and 400 oxygen cylinders," she said.

NAC spokesperson said the national flag-carrier was ready to bring the emergency health supplies any time in the current situation of calamity as per the direction of the government.

A version of this article appears in the print on May 11, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.