KATHMANDU, Dec 4: The employees of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) have initiated a protest calling for the removal of Ubaraj Adhikari, the executive chief of the state-owned airlines. The protest unfolded as employees barred the executive chief from entering the office premises, citing concerns about the airline's precarious state.
The agitating employees also erected a banner at the office gate, explicitly forbidding the chief executive from entering. They have accused him of jeopardizing the national flag carrier, a shared asset of three million Nepali people.
Madan Kharel appointed executive chairman of NAC
Adhikari faces allegations of negligence in safeguarding the ground handling operations at Tribhuvan International Airport, a critical resource for NAC. Additionally, he is accused of neglecting the regular maintenance of aircraft on international flights, making arbitrary appointments of wage and contract employees, and demoralizing permanent, qualified, and skilled staff.
Recently, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) decided to open up the ground handling, previously a NAC monopoly, to competitive bidding. The protesting staff also highlighted the abandonment of the TwinOtter aircraft unused for years and poorly managed Chinese aircrafts.
The protestors outlined nine reasons for their demand to dismiss the executive chief officer, emphasizing the critical issues affecting the airline's operations and expressing their discontent with Adhikari's leadership.
