Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has ordered the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to allow Himalaya Airlines to self-conduct ground handling operations at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu.
A division bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Sharma and Binod Sharma issued a mandamus order to CAAN and TIA Civil Aviation Office on Friday.
The Ground Handling Regulations, 2016, of CAAN allow airlines operating at least 35 flights a week to self-conduct ground handling operations at TIA.
CAAN had provided a license to Himalayan Airlines to self-conduct ground handling services at TIA on September 25, 2020. However, the aviation regulator and airport operator later canceled the license at the direction of then tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai.
Himalaya challenged CAAN’s decision at the apex court on February 16, 2023.
Established in 2014, Himalaya Airlines is a joint venture between Tibetan Civil Aviation Development & Investment Company Ltd of China and Yeti World Investment Pvt Ltd of Nepal. It operates scheduled flights to five cities Qingdao, Shanghai, Lhasa, Chongqing and Beijing in China, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Doha in Qatar, Dammam and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Dubai in UAE, and Phuket in Thailand.
Himalaya operates a fleet of four Airbus A319 and A320 family aircraft.
