KATHMANDU, Dec 31: A narrow body A320 aircraft (N-AKW) of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded. The aircraft was grounded at Doha Airport in Qatar due to problems in its engine.
The plane, which arrived in Doha on December 28 on a regular flight, had an engine problem while parking after a safe landing, NAC said. An engineering team from the Doha-based Qatar Airways while inspecting the aircraft had identified a problem with the engine on the left.
NAC’s narrow-body aircraft grounded for over 2 months
After the engine manufacturer suggested to the NAC to replace the engine and repair it, it seems like it will take more time and cost to make the aircraft airworthy. On the same day, the Widebody A330, which was preparing for the Narita flight to Japan, was grounded due to technical problems. The aircraft, which was grounded in Nepal, has started flying from Thursday after repairs.
The aircraft was grounded at the Tribhuvan International Airport for two days after a problem was seen during a test while preparing for the flight. One hundred and thirty passengers who arrived at the airport to fly to Narita via flight number RA-433 were stopped in Nepal after the news of a problem in the plane. The passengers were kept in a hotel at the expense of the corporation and they were flown in another flight on Wednesday.
According to a source, the passengers scheduled to fly from Narita were also taken to the hotel at the expense of the corporation. The aircraft had to be repaired by ordering spare parts from Sri Lanka after the electrical contractor management unit of the aircraft was found to have problems during the test before taking off from Nepal.
The aircraft, which was grounded for two days, was flown to Delhi on Thursday after repairs, the NAC said. After two problems occurred in two aircraft on the same day, the hotel management expenses of the passengers and the engine maintenance expenses have added to the operating expenses of the NAC.
