Kathmandu: The 258-seater Boeing 767-300 aircraft leased by RNAC (Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation) from Lauda Air landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu this morning. The plane had made its ferry flight from Italy.

After its arrival the aircraft made its first scheduled flight (RA 217) with RA insignia to New Delhi, the Indian capital, carrying 231 passengers this evening.

This has rested speculations about whether the plane would arrive or not. But the legal hassle is not over yet. Meanwhile, RNAC executive chairman Hari Bhakta Shrestha has said that the “RA would go ahead in accordance with the government’s advice”.

The 12-year-old aircraft flew to the capital in accordance with the agreement signed between the RNAC and the Lauda Air on September 27. According to the agreement, the newly leased plane will fly 300 hours a month. The plane is leased for 18 months. The total lease costs US$ 3,700 per flight hour, including that of the crew charge. However, the C-check cost will be borne by both the parties—RNAC and the lessor Lauda Air.

However, one group of the RNAC believes that there are many things to be settled for its smooth running. Only two days back the Public Accounts Committee, the parliamentary probe committee to look into the national issues on financial matters, had strictly redirected the RNAC not to go ahead with the deal it had made with the Lauda Air for the leasing of the plane which the Lauda Air itself had leased from other company. The PAC sub-committee’s report had indicated some financial irregularities while RNAC reached the deal with the Lauda Air. The case is also being discussed in the Supreme Court.

With the leasing of the Lauda Air’s jet the national flag carrier has now a fleet of four jets which it can use for its international flights. The RA has two jets of its own and the third jet is leased from China South West Airlines (CSWA). The CSWA has been flying with the RA insignia since last year. After the first lease term was over in September the RA had extended the lease with CSWA for another 18 months.

Tourism people are of the view that this additional aircraft would contribute a lot in bringing tourists to the Himalayan Kingdom from abroad.

According to RNAC senior official Pushkar Wagle, the plane would be flown both in long and short routes. “However,” he added, “the recently leased jet will be drafted in RA’s Osaka flight and flights to European cities. The plane can be used in RA’s evening flights to New Delhi also.”

The aircraft which the RNAC leased from the Lauda Air is the property of Hong Kong based Pacesetter Leasing Limited Partnership. The Lauda Air had leased the plane from the Hong Kong based owner in the recent past.

According to a high level RNAC source, after the leased plane landed at the TIA the RNAC released a promissory letter to the Lauda Air, the Austria based lessor of RNAC’s second leased plane, to draw money deposited in its bank account as the mandatory bank guarantee.