A colluded involvement of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) staff in human trafficking has been exposed, local newspaper The Kathmandu Post reported on May 21.

This was revealed after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) warned NAC to stop bringing Nepalis without visa. The UAE has warned it will blacklist NAC if it does not stop dumping passengers without visa at Dubai airport.

The warning came from Dubai Immigration Department to NAC through its station at Dubai. The warning says the UAE will be compelled to take action as repeated complaints have been ignored by the NAC management.

UAE has also warned the state-owned airlines will have to pay over 10,000 rupees (US$153.8) per passenger as penalty, if it brings in such passengers next time.

NAC's regulations prohibit carrying passengers without visa in flights to countries where Nepalis are not entitled to get on-arrival visa.

For the latest case, on April 23, NAC carried 22 passengers without visa and return tickets to Dubai. Source said the 22 people were once flown to Iraq by human traffickers, but brought back and dumped to Dubai. On May 1, UAE immigration ordered NAC to take back the stranded passengers.

The plane could not fly back the next day as scheduled. On May 6, when NAC decided to take other passengers to hotel, being prepared to fly the 22 back, the 22 were nowhere to be seen.