Nepal Airlines Corporation on Monday cleared around €10,000 in outstanding dues to Iran for using the country's airspace to reach Qatar’s capital Doha.
The payment was settled through an agent in Dubai, as none of the Nepali banks "showed interest" in transferring the money to Iran, said an NAC official, Kathmandu Post reported.
The corporation was forced to cancel its flight to Kathmandu-Doha route on Sunday after Iran refused to grant overfly permission citing dues that NAC had not settled for years.
Quoting a source at NAC, The Himalayan Times reported early Monday that the airline owed €11,280. NAC had avoided settling its relatively small debt since 2007 by redirecting its Doha flights to Oman and the UAE.
However, the UAE—along with a number of other Saudi allies—cut all ties with Qatar last week and banned the use of it airspace for flights to and from Doha, forcing airlines to seek alternative routes.
After having to cancel their Doha flight on Sunday and finding other means for their 300 passengers, the Nepal's national flag carrier was left with no choice but to pay its dues to Iran.
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