NAC to operate ground-handling in Pokhara

The Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to allow it to provide ground-handling services at the under construction Pokhara International Airport.

Issuing a statement on last week, the Corporation reminded CAAN that it had been certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for its ground operations and that it had successfully been handling the ground operations at Nepal’s busiest Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA).

Similarly, it has expressed sadness over the reduction of its Kathmandu-Delhi flights. On September 15, NAC had written to CAAN, seeking permission to operate 14 flights between the Nepali and Indian capitals per week. However, the Authority only permitted 10.

The Kathmandu-Delhi route is one of the most profitable routes for the state-owned carrier and one that it operates as a historic slot. This means that this route cannot be withdrawn from an airline to accommodate new entrants or any other category of aircraft operator – a fact that the Corporation noted in the statement aimed at the Civil Aviation Authority. Furthermore, NAC informed that it would operate four flights a week between Bhairahawa’s GBIA and New Delhi, meeting CAAN’s requirements.