RNAC’s Bold Decision

I read your editorial ‘Requiem on RNAC?’ with interest. I cannot but think otherwise that it is indeed a bold decision on part of the RNAC Board led by its young dynamic Chairman. While the fact that the entire tourist industry, for very understandable reasons, will be against this decision, one needs to take bold decisions when it is a situation of ‘do or die’. I am convinced that RNAC would have been dead in a year or two had this decision not been taken. How long can you go on bleeding? Agreed it is a problem which was known for a long time but those who have been running RNAC never had the courage to take bold decisions. It is a direct result of all those feeble decisions that have led to a point of ‘no return’. RNAC have had Boards comprising distinguished people of Nepal who have excelled in different fields, but none did enough, or as they may like to find an excuse saying ‘we were not allowed to make such decisions,’ to arrest the rust. Maybe it is the inherent strength of democracy that have exposed the rot from inside out and the present Board has been forced with a decision like that. Very often an Airlines also depict ‘national pride’ because that is one way how you promote your country. Therefore, there is no question that we need an Airlines. But let us have a flag carrier that we can be proud of, not the one that you feel ashamed of flying. RNAC has actually stooped very low in terms of service and its reliability. I also fly quite frequently in and out of our country but I have tried to avoid flying in RNAC because of few bad experiences. Whatever may be the case, it is now also up to the same Board to come up with a long-term vision on reviving the flag carrier. Just to start with, may be RNAC can do away with all kinds of ‘free tickets’, ‘allowances’, ‘over staffing’. What is required now is a dedicated leadership and I feel convinced that the present Board headed by its present Chairman needs to be given a chance.

Adarsha Tuladhar
East Timor