Another NAC pilot quits Airbus training

KATHMANDU, APR 09

Yet another Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) pilot sent to France for the Airbus A320 pilot training course has returned back without completing the programme. Senior captain Rabindra Kumar Sherchan abandoned the training after he found it difficult to abruptly switch from Boeing to Airbus, said the NAC.

In the last week of January, three captains—Deepak Narshing Rana, Maheshwor Man Dangol and Santosh Sharma—had also aborted the training midway. In its second batch, NAC had sent four pilot s for training. A week ago, a third batch comprising six pilot s were sent for training in France. Normally, a narrow-body jet requires seven sets of pilot s.

With the arrival of the new aircraft, NAC has been handling five types of aircraft—Twin Otter, MA60, Y12e, Boeing and Airbus. Hiring experienced pilot s has become a challenge for the national flag bearer, as the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s mandatory regulation enforced last year bars pilot s from operating multiple types of aircraft.

NAC had faced a shortage of pilot s when it received the MA60 aircraft, gifted by China on April 27, 2014, that led to the aircraft being grounded for more than two weeks. The corporation currently hires flying crew on a contract basis. It also plans to hire Nepali pilot s who are flying Airbus in various parts of the world.

NAC Spokesperson Ram Hari Sharma said that the European aviation giant Airbus is scheduled to handover the second Airbus A320 to the corporation on April 28.

The first of the two jets had arrived on February 8. The state-owned carrier had acquired an aircraft for international flight after 27 years.

Source: The Kathmandu Post