Kathmandu – The government is preparing to purchase seven Twin Otter aircraft, one for each province, to improve flight services across the country. Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Badri Pandey said regular flights in the Himalayan and hilly districts have been affected due to a shortage of Twin Otter planes. To address this, the ministry has put forward a proposal to buy new aircraft.

Currently, Nepal Airlines has only two Twin Otters, which the minister said are insufficient to meet demand. He added that the new aircraft will be procured under a transparent model and operated in collaboration with the private sector.

Although there are 53 airports across Nepal, most remain inactive. Minister Pandey warned that if the number of Twin Otter planes continues to decline, life in remote regions will become even more difficult.

He also said that due to the low number of aircrafts, they were not able to operate air services to various remote mountain areas.