The United States government is set to provide two aircraft to the Nepal Army.
The two aircraft landed at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Saturday. However, the US Embassy has yet to formally hand them over to the Nepal Army.
According to Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet, spokesperson for the Nepal Army, one aircraft is a Skytruck, and the other is an air ambulance.
"The aircraft arrived in Nepal yesterday. They will be handed over to the Nepal Army in a ceremony in the near future," he said.
Preparations are underway to hand over both aircraft to the Nepal Army amid a ceremony this month.
According to spokesperson Basnet, the Skytruck is planned to be deployed for disaster management. "The Skytruck will primarily be used for rescue and relief operations," he said.
The army plans to use the air ambulance for rescuing pregnant women, people injured in disasters, and patients during emergencies.
The US government previously provided two aircraft to Nepal in 2019. With these additions, the Nepal Army will have a total of 20 aircraft.
So far, the Nepal Army has been using helicopters to rescue patients, the injured, and pregnant women.
Private companies operating commercial flights in Nepal do not have air ambulances. On a few occasions, Shree Airlines’ aircraft have been converted for use as air ambulances. However, there is no dedicated air ambulance aircraft.
According to Gyanendra Bhul, information officers of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, the air ambulance being provided to the Nepal Army will be the first of its kind in Nepal.
"There are no air ambulances in our country. The air ambulance being acquired by the Nepal Army will be the first to be registered in Nepal," he said. "No private sector entity has an air ambulance either."
According to Bhul, during the COVID-19 pandemic, CAAN had initiated discussions with the private sector about establishing air ambulances, but those talks were unsuccessful.
"There are 2-3 medical emergency flights each month. Bringing in air ambulances from abroad incurs high costs," he said. "For some time, Shree Airlines’ aircraft served the purpose, but it was not a dedicated air ambulance. So, we had discussed whether aircraft from Buddha Air, Shree Airlines, and Yeti Airlines could be used as air ambulances."
He believes it would be beneficial if the Nepal Army’s air ambulance could obtain international flight permissions. However, as a military aircraft, obtaining such permissions could be difficult, he noted.
"When a locally available aircraft can transport patients to the hospital concerned, it becomes much more cost-effective. Using a Nepali aircraft instead of a foreign air ambulance can reduce costs by approximately 40 percent," he said. "The aircraft to be operated by the Nepal Army will be a great start."
