Allegations of Nepotism and Procedural Irregularities Rock Nepal Airlines

Kathmandu. Irregularities have been uncovered within Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) regarding pilot recruitment, examination systems, and Airbus A-320 training processes, raising serious concerns about the organization's governance, transparency, and accountability.

At the center of the controversy is the appointment of First Officer (FO) Roshan Koirala on a contract basis for the Airbus A-320 fleet. At the time of his appointment, Koirala had already surpassed the mandatory retirement age of 58 as per corporation regulations.

Sources within the NAC state that selecting him for expensive and long-term training, despite his limited remaining service period, constitutes a gross misuse of institutional resources. The appointment was allegedly facilitated during the tenure of former Operation Director Captain Shrawan Rijal in collusion with the Human Resources Department.

Further mystery surrounds Koirala's employment, as he was simultaneously flying the 'Let L-410' aircraft for the 'United Nations Humanitarian Air Service' in Africa before and for some time after his appointment in Nepal. An official noted that being active in two different organizations at the same time is a direct violation of regulatory standards and professional responsibility.
While the corporation has defended such decisions by citing a pilot shortage, internal data presents a different picture. Currently, about 10 First Officers are inactive without 'type-rating', and 6 'Twin Otter' First Officers are fully qualified for Airbus conversion.

The intent is further questioned as senior captains who expressed interest in undergoing Airbus A-320 training at their own expense were sidelined in favor of an individual who had already reached retirement age. For the past 6 years, pilots from the MA-60 and Y-12 fleets, including Rabin KC, Melsam Ojha, Prachanda Shrestha, Prashant Shah, Pratik Poudel, Badalraj Gupta, Ananda Kumar Shrestha, Ramkrishna Shrestha, Ankit Bohara, and Srijana Acharya, have remained inactive. Similarly, Twin Otter fleet pilots Vivek Pyakurel, Abin Gauchan, Bishworaj Thapa, Amrit Khanal, Nimisha Nepal, and Santosh Yadav, despite being qualified for Airbus training, have been ignored.

During the tenure of current Operation Director Captain Subash Rijal, established standards for training and examination processes have been bypassed. Sources claim that the typically computer-based examination was converted to paper-based specifically for Koirala, and instead of having the question paper prepared by qualified Airbus instructor pilots, non-type-rated pilot Sanjay Poudel was tasked with creating, guarding, and evaluating the paper.

According to regulations, Airbus instructors are required to set the question paper, and an expert group must verify the results. However, it is alleged that Koirala was awarded 100 percent marks without proper evaluation of his answer sheet, and his individual scores were kept confidential. An email sent to the Crew Training Division on 16 February 2026, stating that the question paper would be provided directly from the Operation Director's office, has raised questions about the confidentiality and fairness of the examination. Despite the Civil Aviation Authority being aware of this, no action has been taken.

Furthermore, according to OM-A, type-rating and a minimum of 500 flight hours are mandatory for direct-entry pilots, which does not appear to have been followed. Even though the training agreement with 'CAE Malaysia' has expired and a subcommittee attempted to halt the process, the training is proceeding through a conditional agreement.

Work is being fast-tracked to complete his training before retirement without the required bank guarantee or collateral as per regulations. The primary reason for this effort, which violates numerous rules, is understood to be the abuse of power and personal interest.

Operation Director Subash Rijal and pilot Roshan Koirala are relatives (in-laws). The corporation's resources and assets are being misused to provide expensive training to a relative at the state's expense to fulfill personal interests.

Officials within the corporation state that this incident has demoralized other pilots and dealt a severe blow to institutional credibility. When attempts were made to reach Subash and Roshan for comment, they were unavailable.

Meanwhile, stakeholders have demanded an independent investigation, financial audit, and transparent review of this recruitment, examination, and training process. Experts warn that if reforms are not implemented in time, it will have long-term consequences for the governance and safety of Nepal's aviation sector.