Debt-ridden airlines
Nepal Airlines aircraft are in debt, due to which the financial burden is increasing. Nepal Airlines bought the first batch of Chinese planes 8 years ago. Now the debt-ridden Nepal Airlines has decided that it will sell the planes after the instructions of the Ministry of Finance. In the year 2012, the Nepali government extended the purchase agreement of four Y126 and two MA60 aircraft from China. One of these aircraft is no longer in a condition to fly after the accident, while the remaining five aircraft are standing idle in the parking lot of Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal.
Nepal Airlines short of pilots
Apart from lack of maintenance and spare parts of the plane, pilots are also not available to fly the Nepal Airlines aircraft. After all the difficulties, there is no point in keeping the plane. Some officials of Nepal Airlines say that, "They do not think that anyone will take these planes on contract now." In 2012, China provided a loan of 6.67 billion Nepalese rupees, or 408 million Chinese yuan, to Nepal.
Of the total amount, Nepal used 180 million yuan (Nepali Rs 2.94 billion) to pay for one MA60 and one Y12e aircraft. The other aircraft was purchased with a soft loan from China’s Exim Bank for 228 million yuan (Nepali Rs 3.72 billion).
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