Airbus A330s At Risk Of Being Grounded In Nepal

Nepal Airlines is facing mounting pressure to keep its Airbus A330s in service, with reports of a narrowing window to do so.

With one A330-200 per a Nepal News report, Annapurna has 170 flight cycles remaining before it reaches the mandatory engine overhaul threshold, and procurement for maintenance support remains unresolved, raising concerns.

The sister Airbus A330-200, named Maklu, has 400 cycles available before it also needs comparable work. The unresolved situation now threatens long-haul flights as the airline tries to conserve cycles before the planes are parked.

While Nepal Airlines assesses what measures are available, if it is not forced to ground the Airbus A330s for work, the risks also fall on the international network, which may be forced to reduce significantly to limit weekly cycles.

One A330 With Nepal Airlines Nears Limit

Nepal Airlines’ Airbus A330-200 Annapurna is the primary focus, with its flight cycle limit much closer than that of its sister. Once the flight cycle limit is reached, the engines, Rolls-Royce RB211-Trent 772B-60/16, would require an in-shop overhaul, refurbishment, and other associated maintenance.

The NAC technical spokesperson, however, told Nepal News that just three months under the current operating programme is therefore the timeframe before the first A330 would need to head in for maintenance.

With pressure now increasing, the airline’s current operating programme has little room to adjust and add margin for the delay in capacity to manage maintenance, replace engines and secure other approvals.

Reducing utilisation, while a measure Nepal Airlines could take, would ultimately remove capacity and, critically, revenue from the international network for a plane central to long-haul connectivity and with no other cover for this scenario.

Furthermore, if these A330s are forced to see their utilisation drop to preserve cycles while maintenance slots are sourced, the impact on passengers and brand image will be profound. However, equally, if the planes keep flying, they’ll risk being grounded.

The airline previously flagged this technical process as needing to begin a year ahead of the work so bidding and other evaluations could take place. However, now, just months before the work needs to happen to allow the planes to return to service, nothing has been finalised.

Nepal Airlines Other A330 Undergoes C-Check

With the first A330-300 Annapurna facing significant attention, the second model, which will also face similar engine checks, is 400 cycles away. However, it was ferried to Italy in early August for its own C-Check maintenance, and is due back in Nepal this week.

The C-Check is a scheduled airframe and system check that every aircraft undergoes, and is separate from the ongoing pressures surrounding the Rolls-Royce engines equipped on the aircraft, which are under the 400-cycle clock.

This second A330-200 entered service after a delivery in 2018 and has allowed the carrier to expand its own widebody operation and begin serving destinations such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai, Doha and beyond.

In securing engine maintenance for these A330s, three tender processes have been reported. The first two rounds did not secure bids, while Sanad, a Dubai-based company, was reported as the sole interested party, but it did not provide the bank guarantee required under Nepal’s public procurement rules.

Because the cycles before the engine downtime are needed and the process risks restarting, pressure is rising, and the airline has begun seeking international bidders for the engine overhaul and a further lease support package. The estimated combined cost stands at roughly NPR 5 billion for the two Airbus jets.