NAC suspends 16 employees

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) today suspended 16 employees and initiated departmental action against them for their involvement in irregularities.
Among the 16 suspended, nine are engineers, one senior officer and six assistant level staffers, according to spokesperson Raj Bahadur KC. “The remaining three engineers will also face departmental action.”
The decision to take action against the erring staffers was taken according to recommendations provided by a high-level committee formed to investigate the mysterious disappearance of aircraft parts, the airlines said.
The Tourism Ministry on December 4 had formed a four-member high-level committee headed by Joint Attorney General Thok Prasad Siwakoti to investigate the series of mysterious disappearances of vital parts –– main wheel, nose wheel and landing gear –– of the B757 9N-ACA aircraft.
The committee was also mandated to investigate other controversial issues including the issuance of counterfeit appointment letters to Indian nationals, the damage in the nose of the Boeing aircraft and the disruption of flights due to the mouse on board one of its aircraft. It had submitted the report on January 24 to the government.
Meanwhile, the corporation has decided to form a Report Recommendation Implementation Committee led by joint secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation Ranjan Krishna Aryal to implement other recommendations of the committee. The committee will be responsible to execute all the reform agendas provided by the High Level Committee, said spokesperson Raj Bahadur KC.
There had been three major thefts at NAC last year, in which flying kits, tyres of its Boeing aircraft and landing gear of a Twin Otter aircraft were stolen. The corporation has estimated a loss of Rs 150 million from those incidents. Similarly, the fake appointment of Indian nationals had also revealed the notoriety of the national flagship airlines.
The investigation of the High Level Committee had revealed the apparent involvement of NAC staffers ranging from loaders to directors in all cases.
Meanwhile, the grounded 9N-ACB,B-757 aircraft resumed regular flights from today after its defunct equipment were replaced, NAC said.

Blue Air to fly
KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation will issue an operating license to Blue Airways to operate domestic flights, joint secretary at the ministry Suresh Acharya said, adding that Blue Airways is planning to operate flights to remote areas of the country.