Nepal Airlines’ Narrowbody Aircraft Grounded, International Flights Disrupted

Kathmandu — Hundreds of passengers have been affected as both narrowbody aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) were grounded, leading to the cancellation of international flights.

Since Friday, flights have been canceled, affecting 133 passengers scheduled to travel to Dubai and 111 passengers returning to Nepal, who were accommodated in hotels at the airline’s expense.

Due to the suspension of narrowbody operations, NAC was forced to cancel flights to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Dubai. In some cases, passengers were checked in and directed to the sterile hall before being informed of the cancellation, causing frustration and anger, with videos of the incidents circulating on social media.

There were also reports of misconduct and physical assault against airline staff. During the cancellation of a flight to China, some passengers allegedly assaulted NAC shift in-charge Vijay Adhikari in front of airport security, as seen in social media videos.

Currently, both of NAC’s narrowbody aircraft are grounded due to technical issues. The “Lumbini” aircraft’s engine was sent to Israel for replacement but has not yet returned to Nepal. Another narrowbody, “Sagarmatha,” returned from Bangkok on Friday night but was also grounded.

Amritman Shrestha, General Manager of NAC, stated that efforts are underway to repair the aircraft and resume regular flights. He explained that although the necessary spare parts arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday evening, customs and military clearance delays have slowed the maintenance process.

With the narrowbody aircraft out of operation, NAC has been forced to rely solely on its widebody fleet, creating significant operational pressure. The total engine flight cycles for NAC’s widebody aircraft are 6,000. Currently, the Alpha Lima Yankee widebody has about 500 flight cycles left, and the Alpha Lima Zulu widebody has about 800 remaining.

Both widebody aircraft are scheduled for extensive “overhaul” maintenance in the coming month. Using them for short-haul flights in the meantime could exhaust their flight cycles quickly, resulting in additional financial losses for the airline, a NAC director stated.