NAC facing lack of sufficient pilots to operate wide-body aircraft

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3rd Jul, 2018 | Tourism Mail Crew

KATHMANDU, July 03: Nepal Airlines is facing a shortage of pilots amidst its drive to extend flight networks with its new wide-body aircraft. The new arrival, a wide-body Airbus A330, is currently facing a lack of sufficient pilots. The aircraft is being planned to fly to the existing route of Doha in Qatar by August 1, and to fill the flights, foregin pilots are being hired.

The aircraft is to be grounded for a month due to the lack of sufficient pilots. A wide-body aircraft requires 8 pilots and 8 co-pilots for operation. With the second wide-body Airbus that the NAC is receiving soon, it will be requiring 16 pilots while it currently has only 4 pilots to operate the aircraft.

The first wide-body aircraft, named "Annapurna" has been assigned Senior Captain Shrawan Rijal and M.M. Dangol, and the NAC is preparing to bring in the remaining pilots from abroad, said Director General Sugat Ratna Kansakar.