Kathmandu, June 4
Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) – the national flag carrier – has said that it will start its first commercial flight with the new Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft to Dubai on August 1.
According to Sugat Ratna Kansakar, managing director of NAC, it is expected to take delivery of one Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft by June 27, whereas the second wide-body aircraft is expected to be delivered a month after the arrival of the first one. After receiving the first aeroplane, NAC will start the process to obtain Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) as well as the destination country – UAE.
This is the first time since its establishment that NAC will be operating two 274-seater wide-body aircraft. Currently, NAC is conducting international flights through two narrow-body Airbus aircraft and one Boeing 757. “We have plans to add more aircraft to our fleet and extend our services to more destinations,” stated Kansakar.
As per Kansakar, NAC had applied for permission for its flight schedule at the CAAN office at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), which has been approved already.
NAC has set a schedule to fly its new aircraft from TIA to Dubai from August 1. The flight has been planned for take-off at 8:15am from TIA and the return flight is scheduled to arrive at TIA from Dubai at 7:10pm.
“TIA officials have informed us that the schedule for the take-off time has been approved but the schedule for the arrival time has not been confirmed yet,” informed Kansakar. “TIA has mentioned that the arrival time planned by NAC is a bit difficult to manage as it is during the peak hour and there could be delays due to air traffic congestion.”
NAC has set a plan to conduct daily flights to Dubai. Upon arrival of the second aircraft, NAC also plans to start flights to Japan and South Korea after the necessary permission is obtained. “We are negotiating with the concerned authorities in Japan and Korea for the purpose,” said Kansakar. “We also have a target to add more flights to New Delhi and Malaysia and expand to more destinations.”
Written by Sandeep
This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/first-flight-with-new-plane-to-dubai-on-aug-1/ under the title “‘First flight with new plane to Dubai on Aug 1′”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
