KATHMANDU: A striking image of a helicopter being hauled into Nepal on a flatbed trailer via the Tatopani border has gone viral across Nepali social media, sparking widespread interest and intrigue.
The helicopter, manufactured by European aerospace giant Airbus, is being imported by Mountain Helicopters Pvt. Ltd., one of Nepal’s leading private aviation companies.
The aircraft, recently operated by a Chinese company, was purchased from the Chinese aviation firm Shanghai Technology and is now en route to Kathmandu for official deployment.
Ramchandra Bhusal, head of Human Resources at Mountain Helicopters, confirmed that the rotorcraft could not be flown directly from China to Nepal due to a lack of necessary flight permits from both countries.
“Because we hadn’t secured cross-border flight permissions, we decided to trailer the helicopter to Tatopani and then fly it from there,” Bhusal explained. He added that the company plans to expand its fleet by adding five similar helicopters within the next six months.
The five-seater helicopter, which now bears the Nepali call sign ‘9N-AOP’ issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), is currently stationed at the Nepal-China border in Tatopani, Sindhupalchok district.
Tatopani Customs Officer Surya Prasad Kafle confirmed the arrival of the helicopter and said it remains at the border pending clearance.
“According to submitted documents, the helicopter is valued at Rs 290 million. Customs duties of 1% and VAT of 13% must be paid before the helicopter is cleared,” Kafle said.
He further added that once all customs and revenue procedures are complete, the importer has expressed plans to fly the aircraft directly from the border.
If all goes as scheduled, Mountain Helicopters is expected to complete all regulatory formalities by Thursday afternoon, paving the way for the aircraft’s first flight on Nepali soil.
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