KATHMANDU, Jan 26: Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has claimed that its reliability percentage is at 98 percent, while its punctuality and occupancy at 80 percent and 73.5 percent, respectively.
The data is of mid-April i.e. before the earthquake. Though occupancy has been slightly affected after the earthquake, other factors remain the same, according to NAC officials.
Ram Hari Sharma, spokesperson of NAC, said the data is calculated on the basis of actual flight information.
To further improve this status as well as to strengthen the national flag carrier, NAC on Monday unveiled a seven-point improvement plan to be implemented over the next three years.
Sugat Rantna Kansakar, managing director of NAC, said that NAC management was working on bringing legal and structural reforms to strengthen the national flag carrier. “We are also working on improvement of internal management, Human Resource (HR) management and capacity enhancement, property management and improvement of financial system, full utilization of our existing fleet, expansion in international market and improvement in ticket selling system,” he added. Kansakar also said the national flag carrier will also focus procurement of new aircraft, finalizing its operation plan, and strengthening its organizational management and monitoring and evaluation system.
“We will finalize the plan after incorporating comments from stakeholders within two weeks,” Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said. “One will be able to feel some changes in NAC from mid-February itself,” he added.
NAC has already unveiled plan to added two wide-body aircraft to its fleet within one and half years. The first will join NAC's fleet within a year while the second will arrive within 15 to 16 months, according to NAC officials.
“Once we have wide-body aircraft, we will be connecting Nepal to Europe, Australia and the UK among other countries like South Korea and Japan. We will also add fights to more Chinese and Indian cities,” added Kansakar.
NAC recently received permission to operate flights to Damman and Dubai.
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ananda Raj Pokharel said the national flag carrier should have a strong management. “NAC should management contract with its staff members, carry out feasibility study to operate flights to new locations, and reduce expenditure,” added Pokharel.
At the program, NAC management, senior officials and member of trade unions expressed commitment to work as per the plan to strengthen the national flag carrier.
JITU NEPAL NAMED NAC BRAND AMBASSADOR
NAC has appointed popular artiste Jitu Nepal as its brand ambassador.
Minister Pokharel handed over the agreement letter to Nepal during the program organized in Kathmandu on Monday.
Speaking at the program, Nepal said that he will promote NAC while traveling to different countries for his shows. “I request the government to introduce a provision that requires government officials to use NAC wherever possible,” he added.
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