SANGAM

Single-engine birds back in sky

SANGAM PRASAIN

KATHMANDU, AUG 20 -
Single-engine aircraft have returned to the Nepali skies after a hiatus of almost two decades.

According to the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), Kasthamandap Air, Tara Air and Makalu Air are already operating commercial flights with single-engine planes. Akash Bhairav and Highlander Aviation are awaiting their air operator certificate (AOC).

The government had banned single-engine aircraft in the 1990s following a series of accidents involving these small planes. When Maoist leader Hisila Yami became tourism minister in 2008, the government took a bold decision to bring them back. The government's decision was based on the premise that single-engine aircraft were suitable in a mountainous country like Nepal. “It was not easy to convince the ministry to permit single-engine planes to fly in Nepal. We argued a lot to convince the ministry, and finally it relented,” said Air Kasthamandap’s chief executive officer Dorji Tsering Sherpa.

Single-engine aircraft are known for their short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities on any type of terrain. A STOL plane needs only 195 m of runway to take off, and it can stop within 130 metres on landing while carrying a payload of 1,500 kg.

Single-engine aircraft have a 50-year-long history in Nepal. A PC-6 Pilatus Porter provided support for the first successful ascent of Dhaulagiri in 1960. “It was a Swiss pilot Emil Wick who flew a Pilatus Porter in the high Himalaya for the first time in the 1960s,” said Sherpa of Air Kasthamandap. Wick also trained Nepal Airlines Corporation pilots to fly the aircraft. NAC had a complete monopoly on operating single-engine aircraft for more than 30 years from 1961-98 with three Pilatus Porters. After the open-sky policy of the 1990s, more private players started using single-engine aircraft. The now defunct Necon Air was the first private carrier to fly the Cessna Caravan. Necon Air operated this aircraft for seven years. After the government re-opened the Nepali skies to single-engine aircraft, Air Kasthamandap became the first to acquire a license to operate one. It re-introduced the Swiss-made Pilatus Porter in Nepal. Currently, it has two Pilatus Porters and one PAC750XL manufactured in New Zea land in its fleet. Air Kasthamandap links Nepalgunj with remote airstrips at Simikot, Mugu, Dolpa, Bajura and Surkhet.

Makalu Air is the latest entrant in the single-engine club. The carrier recently started operations from its base in Nepalgunj. It has made a test flight to Talcha in Mugu with its Cessna Grand Caravan.

Tara Air, a subsidiary of Yeti Airlines, has two brand new Swiss-made PC-6 Pilatus Porters. The carrier currently operates flights to Langtang, Dhorpatan and Syangboche. It also serves skydivers.

Apart from the technical advantage, it is the cost that has prompted domestic airline operators to opt for single-engine aircraft. A single-engine aircraft costs around US$ 1.5 million while a Twin Otter or Dornier costs US$ 3 million. Likewise, operation costs are much lower. A single-engine aircraft’s flying cost is US$ 400 per hour while the flying cost for a Twin Otter is US$ 1,400 per hour.