A day before Dasain, the cabinet decided to lease a plane from Lauda Air. It was not a unanimous decision, but one that came because of pressure from the minister for civil aviation. In the process, many rules and regulations were broken or completely bypassed.
The aircraft in question is 12 years old. The corporation is paying an advance of USD 1 million to Lauda Air without any bank guarantee. RNAC wanted to pay the advance on the very day of the cabinet decision, but since the paperwork could not be completed, it is expected to pay when the banks open for business after the holidays.
As matters stand, the rules, regulations and directives have not been followed, or have been broken. According to regulations RNAC should not lease any plane that is more than five years old, should not pay any advance without a bank guarantee, and a tender should always be called for while leasing a plane. None of these directives were followed in the present case.
The acquisition of a plane without calling for tenders, without a bank guarantee and one that is more than five years old, shows that the minister for civil aviation Minister is not working for the benefit of RNAC or the country. The only beneficiary in the present deal seems to be the minister himself, and the amount of commission that he will be making is a matter of conjecture.