KATHMANDU: Nepal Airlines has decided to cut the salaries of domestic and foreign pilots for the second time.

According to Archana Khadka, spokesperson of the Nepal Airlines, the company has cut the salaries of foreign pilots by 50% and domestic pilots by 33%.

“We have decided to immediately cut the salaries of the highest paid employees as the lockdown is not likely to open immediately,” Khadka said.

The airlines took the decision to this effect in view of the lockdown continuing for a long time.

As soon as the lockdown started, Nepal Airlines had given two weeks unpaid leave to the contracted foreign pilots and 10 days unpaid leave to the Nepali pilots.

Likewise, Nepal Airlines had also given 10 days unpaid leave to 166 air hostesses.

Currently, Nepal Airlines has a total of 15 foreign pilots. Two of them are Airbus 320 narrowbody pilots and thirteen pilots fly the Widebody A330.