Nepal is selling five Chinese planes which were not functioning well and have become a liability to the Nepalese government,
As nobody is coming forward to lease them from the national carrier despite of extension of the deadline.
These five aircraft are owned by the finance ministry but are operated by state-owned airlines. The government is selling these white elephants due to a lack of pilots, which includes three 17-seater Y12e aircraft and two 56-seater MA60 aircraft, posted by the Kathmandu Post newspaper.
WHY NEPAL IS SELLING THESE FIVE AIRCRAFT?
These aircraft are parked at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. According to Airlines, they didn’t get any bids till October 31st, which was the deadline for bidding. They also extended the deadline to November 16th but didn’t get any bids either.
These Chinese planes were not in use for the last two years. Even during operating hours, these aircraft spent more time on the ground than in air space.
HOW NEPAL WILL SELL THE AIRCRAFT?
According to Airlines, they will appoint an assessor for the assessment. Based on the assessment report, they will float a global tender to sell the planes. It will take approximately two months to complete the process.
Also Read: Nepal Election: why it is crucial for India and china
HOW SELLING OF AIRCRAFT WILL AFFECT NEPAL-CHINA RELATIONS.
In the last few decades, we have seen good relations between Nepal and China. There were some instances in the past when the two nations disagreed or had different views over some matters. Regarding ownership of Mount Everest, there was a conflict between Nepal and China but after the visit of Chou En Lai’s visit to Kathmandu in 1960, he made it clear that Mount Everest belongs to Nepal.
Also regarding the height of Mount Everest, the two nations had different views previously. In November 2020, Nepal and China jointly announced the new height of Mount Everest as 8848.86 m. It is quite evident from these events that whenever there is an issue the two nations resolve it.
Therefore, we can say that selling off these five aircraft will not affect that much these two nations.
