Nepal Airlines is defending the purchase of two A330-200s due for delivery in June and July 2018, as a report from the Office of Auditor General stated the airline purchased the two aircraft illegally.

The carrier is accused of using an agent or a mediator to purchase the A330s and for issuing a global tender instead of a direct one via Airbus. NAC calls the report baseless, and denies it used a mediator.

Nepal Airlines to take the two A330s from an order placed by Hifly (Portugal), as part of a foreign consortium led by AAR (US) that also includes German Aviation Capital. The aircraft serials are 1845 and 1854.

“The agreement cannot be said to be done through a mediator as we have signed the agreement with consensus among all the three companies,” according to the airline's spokesperson, Rabindra Shrestha.

The A330s, originally due by March 2018, are expected to fly to Tokyo and Seoul.