KATHMANDU, April 1: The International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives has instructed the Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to submit a clear answer within 15 days regarding the narrow-body aircraft procurement process.

This instruction was given to the NAC in a meeting held on Monday of the International Relations and Tourism Committee under the House of Representatives.

Chairman of the committee, Raj Kishor Yadav, instructed the NAC to submit a clear answer so that the committee can believe that the narrow-body aircraft procurement process was not a corrupt act.

Chairman Yadav said that the committee will form a sub-committee to investigate the issue of narrow-body aircraft. He also asked for a submission on all the procedures that were followed during the procurement of the narrow-body aircraft.

Chairman Yadav cautioned that if the committee isn't convinced that corruption was caused by circumstances, further action will be necessary. He said that it must be ensured that there was no fraud in the narrow-body aircraft procurement process within two weeks.

Chairman Yadav said, “During the narrow-body aircraft purchase, the committee formed a sub-committee to convince the main committee. The issue arose as there were concerns about potential corruption, but it was clarified that there was no corruption. The committee needed to be persuaded that any irregularities were due to circumstantial factors. Otherwise, further action would be necessary. Furthermore, another business plan needs to be developed and discussed by experts in the committee. Within the next 15 days,   the committee will select its members. The report should be submitted along with proof that no corrupt practices have taken place. Likewise, the NAC has completed 22 out of the 23 tasks required for air safety, indicating a strong commitment to compliance. But the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has issued 25 instructions. Therefore, there should be an alignment between the NAC and the CAAN in this matter.”

Yadav said that it is necessary for the CAAN and the NAC to align their efforts to be removed from the European Union's blacklist.