The post was awarded to Raj based on seniority. The immediate DG Rajan Pokharel resigned before his tenure expired.

The duty fell on Raj’s shoulders due to Rajan’s resignation. Raj will continue as the Director-General for the next three months before his tenure runs out.

Raj amassed more than three decades of experience in aviation. He was previously CAAN’s spokesman and even the general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport.

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The flight takes off from Kathmandu.

Spokesman Raj Chhetri of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) stated that Sri Lankan Airlines were permitted to operate the Kathmandu-Sri Lanka air route twice a week.

He added that Sri Lankan Airlines had sought the aviation permit for this summer season. However, the permit’s termination date is September 4. “The company would also apply for further flight permission by observing the situation,” he said.

The airliner expressed interest in taking off from Gautam Buddha International Airport at Bhairahawa. However, the airport is under construction.

Jenith Travels is the travel agency of Sri Lankan Airlines in Nepal. It stated that the air route was inaugurated as a considerable amount of Nepalis visit Sri Lanka. Tourism also stands to get boosted for Nepal after the pandemic ebbs away.

Sri Lanka is currently operating jets in the Middle East and the Maldives. It is planning on expanding to Japan, Australia, and London, Jenith said.

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The civil authority stated that figures pertaining to the losses were calculated on the earnings the aviation industry made over the previous years.

The airline corporations lost NPR 25 billion in the period spanning from March 2020 to July 2021. The civil authority lost NPR 12 billion during this period. The authority oversees and operates airports across Nepal.

Nepal Airlines Corporation suffered the biggest loss among the civilian airlines, as it lost NPR 7 billion during this period. Trailing behind it is Himalaya Airlines, an international flight operator, which lost NPR 3 billion.

Domestic airline owners bled NPR 15 billion in total.

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The airport has been built at Bhairahawa, a location close to Lord Buddha’s birthplace, Lumbini.

Souring this good news is the pandemic complication. The national aviation body, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, had earlier planned to make this airport operation at the beginning of 2021.

Due to the COVID-19 chaos, the officials are yet to schedule the test flights.

“We are focusing on conducting such flights by September or October,” Praveen Neupane, a senior official of the project, says, “That will be the completion of the construction work.”

Praveen reiterated that the airport would become operational. However, it will take a couple of months to initiate commercial flights as the government has to define an air travel route. This proposed route will need the approval of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

The airport, which was built by Chinese and Thai construction companies, is listed as a national pride project.

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The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has formulated special flight schedules for these airlines effective from June 1 to June 30.

Highlighting that the airliners must follow COVID-19 norms, the CAAN said, “The flights have been approved in compliance with the decision of the government made on May 27 to facilitate the seamless traveling of needy public amid the global pandemic of COVID-19.”

Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air India have been permitted to operate one regular flight a week, while Nepal Airlines will operate two flights each week.

The Nepali Government suspended regular international flights from May 7 and domestic flights from May 4 due to the threat of the second wave of the pandemic. Only a few flights under the air bubble have been operated between Nepal and Delhi.

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The Gautam Buddha International Airport project is the major construction project in the country that has been pushed into uncertainty by the ongoing crisis.

Even though 90% of the construction works were completed, the much-talked and much-awaited second international airport project in Bhairahawa has been pushed further behind schedule.

Initially, the airport, featuring a 3,000 meter-long and 45 meter-wide runway, was scheduled to be ready by December 2017. However, the completion deadline was pushed several times due to multiple hurdles.

The latest deadline for the project was set for December 2020, which is highly unlikely to reach considering the current situation.

The project’s second package, installation of communication, navigation and surveillance, air traffic management, and meteorological equipment, has been hindered due to the unavailability of technicians due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI), which won the tender for the second package of the airport project, informed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to wait until the pandemic is under control as it is too risky for them to send their technicians to Nepal at the moment.

Also Read: Pokhara – Tourism Capital of Nepal

“The contractor is unlikely to send its workers to install the equipment anytime soon. They have informed the Nepali authority that the technicians to install the equipment could come only after Nepal records zero cases of coronavirus,” said sources at the CAAN.

The CAAN officials said that the airport project might take at least five months to complete, including three months for equipment installation and two months for testing and commissioning, flight calibration of navigation and communication systems.

Source: Nepalindata

They exclaim that the Pokhara International Airport will come into operation before the Gautam Buddha Airport If the technicians fail to come by the end of this year of early January.

The International Airport in Pokhara is set to be completed by July 10, 2021.

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According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), a total of 4, 532 foreigners have been airlifted from Nepal through 34 international chartered flights from March 24 to April 23.

Even the Nepalis with the green card have left for Australia and the US during the period.

Nine airlines companies have conducted flights to Nepal. They include including Nepal Airlines, Titan Airways, Malindo Air, Shree Airlines, Sudan Airways, Buddha Air, Druk Air, and Himalayan Airlines.

Nepal Airlines has conducted five flights while Qatar Airways conducted nine flights.

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The four routes that the sub-continent has agreed to make two-way include:

East Region

• Kathmandu-Biratnagar-Dhaka
• Kathmandu-Janakpur-Kolkata
• Kathmandu-Janakpur-Patna

West Region

• Kathmandu-Mahendranagar-Delhi

Now, Nepal carriers will be able to fly through the L626 route at heights ranging from 15,000-24,000ft. Following this, Nepali private air carriers such as Buddha Air will connect New Delhi with Nepalgunj.

This new development comes as a breakthrough for both nations, especially for Nepal that was concerned over easing traffic congestion in Simara Airport, which is a major destination for inbound flights in the country.

In this regard, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed the MoU to conduct a safety assessment of the proposed routes. However, as per Nepal’s proposal, two vital entry points Nepalgunj and Mahendranagar are yet to be opened. India has agreed to probe further on the same by September 2018.

“Discussion on two vital entry points remained on hold, but overall the agreement is in fact a significant breakthrough,” said Deputy Director General of CAAN, Rajan Pokhrel.

“As per Nepal’s request for entry from the L626 route for high-level flights or flights above 24,000ft and another entry point from Nepalgunj, India agreed to make further examination by September 2018,” adds Pokhrel.

It may take a year before all the proposed air routes become functional.

The Background
Pending since 2014, the decision regarding the international air routes for Nepal didn’t take off due to several reasons.

First off, the decision took a halt when Nepal officials visited New Delhi in December 2016 to initiate negotiations, but returned with diverted attention over a public issue. Again, in February 2017, the two nations decided to form a technical team to resume talks, but ill-fate pursued when things didn’t materialize.

Finally, Nepal had welcomed a technical delegation from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on June 14, 2018. 

As part of the discussion, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the AAI team discussed the prospects of three key border routes that Nepal suggested to India, i.e., Janakpur in the east, Nepalgunj in the mid-west and Mahendranagar in the far west regions.

Speaking about the project, an important CAAN official said, “We don’t know about the mandate that the Indian delegation has been entrusted with by its government, but we are prepared to sign a MoU if the discussions yield a positive outcome.”

The two teams agreed on collating a report after the safety assessment was completed by both nations’ technical teams and published to the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP).

AAI team to Nepal was be led by Anil Kumar Dutta, member of Air Navigation Services (ANS) and board member of AAI.

New Projects Awaiting Nod
The latest agreement is crucial to many other infrastructure projects in the pipeline that are financially and technically dependent on it:

International Airport at Nijgadh:

Nepal is planning for the new airport at Nijgadh. Estimated at a budget of USD 1.2 million and spread across an area of about 7,000 hectares, the Nijgadh international airport will ease congestion at the Tribhuvan international airport at Kathmandu.

Nepal is also focusing on the construction of two important airports, USD 80 million Gautam Buddha Airport in Bhairahawa (by 2019) and the USD 16 million airport in Pokhara (by July 2021).

Airfares Experience Hike with Fuel Surcharge
In another recent update, domestic airfares spiked high as airlines spiraled the fuel surcharge in view of the costs incurred on fuel purchase.

On June 5, 2018, the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) signaled a go-ahead to its members to increase market prices.

However, airlines personnel say that customers will not be able to feel the heat as they would rarely have to pay in full on account of the price war towards the end of the travel season.

Fuel Charges Post Hike
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) increased aviation fuel prices by Rs 5 per liter as compared with a two-year high of Rs 100 per liter.

The fuel surcharge on the ticket is increased by Rs 175, making the fuel surcharge Rs 440.

Post the increase in fuel surcharge, a normal flight between Kathmandu to Dhangadhi will cost Rs 12,870 including a fuel surcharge of Rs 4,410.

On a Positive Note:
With the recent Prime Minister visits to both countries, Nepal and India have joined hands to accelerate the growth of both nations by addressing concerns like this airspace issue. Looking at the pace of things followed by the agreement on opening international air routes to Nepal, we are sure that more of such agreements will boost the aviation sectors of both the nations.

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• Nepal Airlines Update: Japan Opens All Air Gates for Nepal Flights

The post Nepal Aviation Update: Nepal, India Negotiate for Better Air Connectivity appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

This recognition came after Nepal’s successful efforts of resolving its safety oversight deficiencies and proper implementation of ICAO safety standards and policies in the year 2017.

Dr. Olumuyiwa Bernard Aliu, ICAO Council President presented the certificate to Rabindra Adhikari, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation at the ICAO Headquarter in Montreal, Canada.

Expressing their joy, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) officials say receiving the ICAO Council President Certificate is a great achievement for them, especially when the country’s aviation safety is often put to question.

Adding further to this, Sanjiv Gautam, Director General of CAAN says, “Aviation safety in Nepal has progressed significantly in recent times and Council President Certificate from ICAO is the appreciation of the improvements we have made.”

Nepal is among the 14 countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Jordan, Kuwait and Romania who received the ICAO certification for their efforts over aviation safety in 2017.

Among other dignitaries present at the event, Mr. Sanjeev Gautham, Director General Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal was also available.

ICAO awards Council President Certificate to member nations on the basis of results of ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program, Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP CMA) activities, including audits, ICAO Coordinated Validation Missions (ICVMs) and off-site validation activities.

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• Process Initiated to Delist Nepal Aviation from EU Blacklist
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Following the removal of Nepal’s aviation sector from the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) significant safety concern (SSC) list, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has launched the process to delist the sector from the European Union’s (EU) aviation safety blacklist. The blacklisting by EU in December 2013, which followed the introduction of the SSC list by ICAO, prohibited Nepali airlines from flying over European skies.

CAAN Director General Sanjib Gautam said that CAAN would send a communication in this regard to the EU in a couple of days. He added that the EU aviation safety committee, representing all the 26 member countries, would decide upon the issue during its meeting in November.

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