Govt panel to grill NAC technical team

KATHMANDU, JUL 29 -

A government panel has decided to grill a Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) technical team that recommended for the purchase of the poor-performing Chinese-made MA60. Contrary to the technical team’s high rating in its report, the aircraft has failed to perform in Nepali terrain, according to the panel headed by Suresh Acharya, joint-secretary at the Tourism Ministry.  

The 56-seater aircraft can take off with 54 passengers from Kathmandu ’s Tribhuvan International Airport, but it has to cut the passenger number down to 34 while returning from smaller airports like Bhadrapur, according to officials. The problem is mostly prevalent during summer due to high temperatures and runway length.

The government officials said the aircraft was not tested in other airports out of Kathmandu although it was recommended to do so.

The Acharya-led team on Tuesday decided to question the NAC technical team that visited China in November 2011 and submitted a report stating that the aircraft was fit for Nepali terrain.

The technical team headed by Ganesh Thakur, the then NAC deputy managing director, included Santosh Kumar Khati, deputy director (engineering department), Kiran Panta, deputy director (commercial department) and senior pilots Sharwan Rijal and Bijay Lama as its members.

A separate committee of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal had suggested that the aircraft should be tested in airports like Dhangadhi, Biratnagar, Simara, Janakpur, Bhadrapur and Bharatpur, among others before procurement.

“But after evaluating NAC’s procurement documents, some of the due procedures were not followed,” said a ministry official.

“Yes, we have decided to question the technical team on what basis they had approved aircraft’s performance was up to the mark,” said Acharya. The committee is expected to submit the report by August, with suggestions on whether the remaining four aircraft from China should be procured.

The procurement of the Chinese-made planes has been dogged with controversy, placing the NAC under scrutiny.

Having arrived in Kathmandu on April 27, 2014, the MA60 plane was grounded for over two months before being put into service in July. The aircraft has been grounded at regular intervals, dealing another blow to the ailing state-owned airline.

In January this year, the NAC had written to the ministry saying that it would be forced to return the Chinese-gifted MA60 aircraft and suspend its order for four more aircraft if China did not address the problems.

Source: The Kathmandu Post