Nepal will be removed from EU air safety list soon: Minister Kirati

KATHMANDU: Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation Sudan Kirati said that he was hopeful that Nepal will be removed from the Air Safety list of the European Union (EU) very soon.

Speaking at the International Relations and Tourism Committee (IRTC) of the House of Representatives on Thursday, Minister Kirati said a technical team from the EU made a thorough audit of Nepal’s air safety mechanisms on September 11-15. “Nepali carriers will soon be removed from the EU Air Safety List. Likewise, a bill related to splitting the regulatory and service provider operations of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has reached the cabinet. We will register it in the Federal Parliament Secretariat once it gets the go-ahead of the cabinet,” he added.

Nepali airlines have been prohibited from flying in European airspace since 2013 when the EU included Nepal in its Air Safety list. In the same year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) included Nepal in its ‘Significant Safety Concerns’ list. It removed Nepal from the list in 2017.

“Since our aviation safety records have improved in recent times, I am hopeful that Nepali carriers will be removed from the EU’s list as well,” he added.

On the occasion, Kirati said that Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has managed to reduce its debt by Rs 4 billion. “There, however, are still challenges. NAC can neither operate small aircraft brought from China nor lease them out. This is inflicting huge parking fees and insurance costs on the national flag carrier,” he added.

Meanwhile, committee chair Raj Kishor Yadav suggested forming a sub-committee to identify and resolve problems plaguing the NAC.