Kathmandu, Apr. 26:
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is all set to operate the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) 21 hours a day from May 21.
Preparations are underway to hire required human resources, define incentives and maintain technical equipment, CAAN Director General Sanjiv Gautam said in a meeting at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) on Thursday.
The meeting was organised by the ministry to review the progress in the activities that Culture,Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari had announced to complete within 100 days from the assumption of the post.
The only international airport in the country is facing traffic congestion which is forcing the international as well as domestic flights to hold in the sky for several minutes, sometimes more than an hour.
Extending the airport operation time was one of the top priority agenda of Minister Adhikari.
“Review the flight operations at the TIA and reschedule the domestic flights if required. Long haul jets should not be hold in the sky just to make a way for the Twin Otters,” he directed the CAAN.
According to him, no new airlines company will get license for flight operation and the existing companies will also not be allowed to buy additional aircraft until there is another provision or a separate airport is constructed for the domestic flight operations.
The government is conducting feasibility study at Thulichaur and Nagidanda of Kavrepalanchowk district to build an airport.
Minister Adhikari said that required human resources at the TIA should be recruited as soon as possible, because manpower for Pokhara, Bhairahawa and Nijgadh airports should be groomed from now.
He criticised the Nepal Airlines Corporation for its bad flight management.
“I have heard that the NAC pilots hold aircraft in the sky for more than an hour just to get additional allowances and benefits while there is no timely flight. Such situation must be improved within a couple of weeks,” he said while directing the NAC.
He also directed NAC authorities to change the sales agent of the NAC.
NAC aircraft should not fly empty, he said.
The Minister also directed the concerned departments and agencies not to allow construction of view towers atop any hill and not to allocate any budget for such structure.
“Hilltops are towers themselves. What is the use of wasting money to construct the view towers on the hills that are taller than any structures around them?” he questioned.
His 100-day projects include creating a tourism website in Chinese language, formulating and implementing Nepal Aviation Safety Plan (NASP), developing information tourism mobile app, organising Himalayan Travel Mart to promote Nepal in international tourism market, completing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Second International Airport at Nijgadh, hiring design review and supervision consultant for Pokhara Regional International Airport, creating documentaries of various touristic sites and facilitating reconstruction of heritages.
He also wants to make amendments to existing Tourism Act, prepare calendar of the festivals of 59 indigenous ethnicities and fix standards for hotels, resorts and home stays.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 April 2018.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is all set to operate the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) 21 hours a day from May 21.
Preparations are underway to hire required human resources, define incentives and maintain technical equipment, CAAN Director General Sanjiv Gautam said in a meeting at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) on Thursday.
The meeting was organised by the ministry to review the progress in the activities that Culture,Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari had announced to complete within 100 days from the assumption of the post.
The only international airport in the country is facing traffic congestion which is forcing the international as well as domestic flights to hold in the sky for several minutes, sometimes more than an hour.
Extending the airport operation time was one of the top priority agenda of Minister Adhikari.
“Review the flight operations at the TIA and reschedule the domestic flights if required. Long haul jets should not be hold in the sky just to make a way for the Twin Otters,” he directed the CAAN.
According to him, no new airlines company will get license for flight operation and the existing companies will also not be allowed to buy additional aircraft until there is another provision or a separate airport is constructed for the domestic flight operations.
The government is conducting feasibility study at Thulichaur and Nagidanda of Kavrepalanchowk district to build an airport.
Minister Adhikari said that required human resources at the TIA should be recruited as soon as possible, because manpower for Pokhara, Bhairahawa and Nijgadh airports should be groomed from now.
He criticised the Nepal Airlines Corporation for its bad flight management.
“I have heard that the NAC pilots hold aircraft in the sky for more than an hour just to get additional allowances and benefits while there is no timely flight. Such situation must be improved within a couple of weeks,” he said while directing the NAC.
He also directed NAC authorities to change the sales agent of the NAC.
NAC aircraft should not fly empty, he said.
The Minister also directed the concerned departments and agencies not to allow construction of view towers atop any hill and not to allocate any budget for such structure.
“Hilltops are towers themselves. What is the use of wasting money to construct the view towers on the hills that are taller than any structures around them?” he questioned.
His 100-day projects include creating a tourism website in Chinese language, formulating and implementing Nepal Aviation Safety Plan (NASP), developing information tourism mobile app, organising Himalayan Travel Mart to promote Nepal in international tourism market, completing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Second International Airport at Nijgadh, hiring design review and supervision consultant for Pokhara Regional International Airport, creating documentaries of various touristic sites and facilitating reconstruction of heritages.
He also wants to make amendments to existing Tourism Act, prepare calendar of the festivals of 59 indigenous ethnicities and fix standards for hotels, resorts and home stays.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 April 2018.
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