KATHMANDU, July 13: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kiranti, has said that the country needs to purchase airplanes and that that’s a national necessity.
Speaking in the National Assembly meeting on Thursday, Minister Kiranti said that purchasing the airplanes was not a matter of his personal interest. He mentioned that the purchase of airplanes is a national necessity. He said that even though airports have been built in remote areas, due to the lack of airplanes flying to and from those areas regularly, flights are irregular, raising questions about the justification behind and relevance of these airports.
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According to him, the private sector is not attracted to operate flights to remote areas as there is no profit in doing so. He also revealed that the national flag-carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), has forwarded the process of purchasing three small airplanes. He mentioned that it is a matter for the corporation's experts and officials to determine the process through which the purchase will be made, and said that he has given instructions to proceed with the process of airplane purchase in a transparent manner and according to the prevailing laws of Nepal.
He mentioned that there is a demand for the construction of airports in different parts of the country and said that instead of increasing the number of airports, emphasis should be placed on increasing the quality of service.