Nepal Airlines has completely stopped its domestic flights. The only Twin Otter aircraft still operating was grounded, leading to a total suspension of domestic services.
Previously, the airline operated with two Twin Otter planes. One of them was grounded back in 2080 Jestha and now the second aircraft has also been grounded since Sunday, according to Nepal Airlines spokesperson Ramesh Paudel.
“Among the two Twin Otters, one was already grounded, and the other had to stop flying because its engine flight hours expired,” Paudel told Nepali Media.
He mentioned that although they had already ordered a new engine knowing the flight hours were about to expire, the engine had not arrived yet.
“We had announced a tender and awarded the contract earlier. The agreement was to deliver the engine within 45 days, but the deadline has passed, and we haven’t received it,” Paudel added.
He also said that they tried to use the existing engine to continue operations, but it was unsuccessful.
Nepal Airlines used to operate flights to 20 remote destinations with the two Twin Otter planes. The suspension of domestic flights will cause significant inconvenience to travelers in remote areas.
