“The trade between Nepal and Turkey increased five times since Turkish Airlines started flying to Nepal.”

Abdullah Tuncer Kececi, General Manager of Turkish Airlines, Nepal started his corporate journey in 1996 as a Simulation Engineer at the Flight Training Centre at Turkish Airlines, a position he held for two decades. Within these two decades as an electronics and communication engineer, Kececi knew a lot about the aviation sector and wanted to bring a different perspective and approach to his career. Then, through a leadership management training programme, he saw an opportunity in sales and marketing and joined the department in 2016. Rising through the ranks, he was appointed as the airline General Marketing Manager for Nepal in March 2016, before being appointed the General Manager shortly thereafter.

In an interview with Ankita Jain, Kececi talks about the reasons behind reducing the flight frequency to Nepal, his thoughts on the privatisation of the aviation industry and more. Excerpts:

What are your thoughts on privatising the national carrier as Turkish Airlines was completely a government entity before and is now partially privatised?

Turkish Airlines is 49% government owned and 51% private entity. Earlier it was completely undertaken by the government but in the 1990s it was privatised. I believe in the power of privatisation. Currently, it is a necessity for development. The government must allow some private companies to enter those areas and look into its progress.

In the context to Nepal, government’s monopoly in ground handling and fuel is hampering us. Every airline should have other options as well to choose from. Healthy competition always helps to improve the quality of the product. Also, I believe Tribhuvan International Airport should also be managed by a private company.

The government should control the aviation sector but at the same time allow private companies to participate equally. The privatisation of Turkish Airlines has resulted in a huge improvement in the airport management. In fact, government bodies are making more money from the airport today rather than in its earlier years through management rights and other shares. Privatisation also helps the government body to focus on other areas.

Reportedly, Fuel, ground handling and parking charges in TIA are high. How do you view this?

We are more concerned about fuel and ground handling charges; parking fees is still bearable. Fuel charges are 70% more in comparison to other countries. If I talk about fuel price per kg in the neighbouring countries, it is nowhere above USD 600. In the context of Nepal, it is USD 1050. At the end of the day, fuel is any airlines main cost and these figures have been affecting the entire aviation industry in the country. This makes the operation unfeasible at times.

Aviation plays a critical role in tourism which affects the development of the country. If global reports are taken into consideration, international airlines have a critical role in the development of any country it is flying to.

According to sources, Turkish Airlines is reducing flight frequency to Nepal…

We try to operate as much as we can. We continued increasing our flight frequencies even when conditions weren’t in our favour. But now it is getting tougher and when we want to increase the number of flights, it is not easy as it sounds. Weather conditions, closing of air space and other factors add to the existing costs which culminate to unfeasible operation cost. The cost factors as compared to other countries are extremely high here. Ground handling is another major reason which affects our costing. Fuel and ground handling are costly but now even parking charges are reaching the sky.

We fly to 316 destinations and among all, fuel charges in Nepal are the highest. Also, we pay tax which we don’t pay anywhere else. Even the operation is not easy keeping in mind the geographical issues and safety concerns. We are carrying out every responsibility and in return expect a little ease from the government’s side as well.

I have been in Nepal for three and a half years now and I haven’t witnessed any easiness in these concerns so far. Due to all these factors, today when we want to increase the flight frequency, it is not easy. So, for now, we stopped increasing the flights. We are expecting structural changes in the coming year through the Visit Nepal 2020 campaign.

We are flying daily right now. But unfortunately, we are planning for five flights a week next year up to March-end. After that period, we will again reconsider the numbers and try our best to increase the flights back to seven flights a week.

Despite strong global air traffic growth, the aviation industry continues to face pilot labour supply challenge. How does Turkish Airlines deal with this crisis?

There is a need for pilots in the industry. Though there is a slowdown in the global economy, the aviation industry is continuously growing. The industry is also trying to manage the training of the pilots. Since pilot training requires two years and when the need is too high, we face an acute crisis in pilot labour supply.

Talking about Turkish Airlines, we have foreign pilots as well. Earlier it was all Turkish pilots but now with the growing fleet and needs of the company, we have foreign pilots in a huge number. Further, we have our aviation academy which provides us with a certain number of pilots every year. Not only the pilot labour but even the need for cabin crew is high. At least 4-5% growth is expected in these areas in the coming year. Currently, Turkish Airlines has around 5,500 pilots and 12,000 cabin crew.

The aviation industry across the world is taking clean and green initiatives. How is Turkish Airlines placed?

The company is trying to create environmental awareness in every way possible. Airline companies mostly prefer second-hand aircraft which already exists in the market and is cost-effective. Also, all the airlines are pressurising the aircraft manufacturers to manufacture aircraft which consume less fuel. We have also gone paperless in certain areas. Also, the company sends an environmental note internally on an everyday basis. Turkish Airlines is also one of the pioneers for every kind of environmental movements globally.

What are the major challenges faced by international flight carriers in Nepal?

High cost, some taxations, the infrastructure of the airport, the service quality of the airport and ground handling, parking space and many more are some of the challenges faced by any international flight carrier in Nepal. I believe the airport authorities are already working on some of these challenges. The changes need to take place as early as possible. There were a few concerns with the runway earlier but there has been repairs. These are some of the good changes already happening in place.

Honestly, everyone knows what the problems are and we need quick solutions. I am a solution-oriented person and rather than complaining I would rather contribute towards solving. Coming up of new airports will add on the betterment and we are looking forward to every positive change. Moreover, we require a revolution in the aviation industry here to pull in more international carriers. From the beginning itself, instead of taking away the big pie, we are trying to make the cake bigger for everyone.

Please share insights about Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) in 2018 and 2019 from Turkey.

The total number of passengers travelled in 2018 were 1,20,000 out of which 45,000 were foreign tourist arrivals in Nepal via Turkish Airlines. Last year, we increased our flight frequency to 11%. This year we increased to 16% which contributes to 20,000 more foreign tourist arrivals. Knowing the potential of Nepal as a tourism destination, we try to promote Nepal on several international platforms. We, as an airline, are not just selling tickets but also bridging cultures.

Please elaborate on how an international flight carrier can be beneficial for trade ties between the two countries?

Turkey is Nepal’s fifth largest exporter. The trade between the two countries increased five times since Turkish Airlines started flying to Nepal. As per data, Nepal has a trade surplus while dealing with Turkey. Moreover, trade opportunities are ample from any international airlines which fly to Nepal.