Nepal Airlines will sell five Chinese-made turboprops for a loss. The aircraft in question are unfit to fly and have been grounded for years. The airline previously tried to lease them out but has had no takers. They have been a financial burden on the airline, which is already grappling with enormous debt. The airline accepts that demand for these aircraft is low and will have to sell them for far less than it paid ten years ago.

Financial burden

The Nepalese Finance Ministry owns the five aircraft. They were initially procured for the airline to be used on underserved mountain routes. The planes listed for sale include two MA60 aircraft and three Y12e aircraft. The aircraft were not in service for long before they were grounded. The airplanes have had an unusually high number of maintenance issues for their age, and spare parts are hard to come by for this aircraft. On top of maintenance dilemmas, the airline has struggled to find enough qualified pilots to fly the planes and even fewer flight instructors that can teach other pilots to fly the aircraft.

Source: Civil Aviation Authority – Qatar