Nepal Airlines says it is in stake sale talks with Mideast carrier

Nepal Airlines has held informal stake sale talks with a Middle East airline after the Nepalese govt mandated it to find a “strategic partner,” its managing director said Monday. The carrier is in the midst of a turnaround, having recently brought in 2 Airbus A320 narrow body jets and with plans to bring in 2 A330 wide-bodies as it phases out out-of-production Boeing 757s. It resumed flights to Dubai from Kathmandu Aug 18 after a 4-year hiatus and is considering more than doubling its network to 19 destinations. Nepal's govt wants the airline to bring in an outside investor to fast track the expansion plan that also includes adding at least one new aircraft a year from 2017. Nepal’s govt believes an outside investor-led expansion would give the airline a greater share of passenger traffic. <br/>