Nepal Airlines. (Photo credit: Alec Wilson).

Nepal Airlines Corporation has invited companies to bid for a five-year inflght duty free contract which it is introducing to service the increasing number of international flights being handled by the airline.

This contract also contains a one-time, two-year extension option. The 100% government-owned corporation and National Flag Carrier of Nepal is asking international companies to submit their sealed document offers labelled ‘Proposal for RA In-flight Duty Free Service’ via post or courier on or before 10 January, 2018, with a cut-off time for acceptance at 12 noon.

TIGHT CONTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE…

Documents will be opened on 10 January at 14:00 at the Nepal Airlines Corp headquarters, where all tenders should addressed as follows: ‘Proposal for Nepal Airlines In-Flight Duty Free Service, ‘Office of the Managing Director, Nepal Airlines Corporation, Kantipath Kathmandu, POB No: 401. Any queries should be addressed to Dy Director, Airport Service Division, Telephone: +977 9851052456 or email: [email protected]]

Amonst the terms and conditions of the tender, the airline’s management says all qualified companies must be ‘a reputed Duty Free & Travel Retail Company’ registered in South Asia, Asia Pacific, or the Middle East region and operating for more than ten years.

Nepal Airlines (Photo credit: Alec Wilson).

At the same time, the company should be currently actively managing at least ten airlines, including at least two flag carriers and catering to a minimum of five million passengers annually. It says the service provider should also be currently active in managing at least two airlines ‘in the region surrounding Nepal’ and able to supply at least two reference letters from two existing ‘customer airlines’.

NO GROUND SHOP COMPETITION

Two members of the proposing service provider must also have more than ten years of experience in the business, while the concessionaire is also expected to provide all duty free goods on a consignment basis to the airline and possess access to its own warehouse in the country.

The airline is understood to be interested in offering a traditional range of inflight duty free goods, with the added attraction for any operator that there is currently no airport duty free shop located at its main international facility at Tribhuvan International Airport.