Tourism minister promises improvement in air safety

KATHMANDU: Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Pandey, has said that the ministry would immediately take the initiative for immediate, medium-term and long-term improvement measures to improve air safety.

Following a helicopter crash in Suirechaur of Nuwakot on Wednesday, which claimed five lives, Minister Pandey announced that he had postponed all pre-scheduled programs to focus on aviation safety issues.

Amid reports of delays in initiating a rescue mission after Wednesday’s chopper crash, Minister Pandey said he had sought information from concerned officials, including those from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). “Despite adverse weather conditions, a rescue helicopter from Prabhu Helicopter Company was dispatched as soon as the crash site was identified,” a statement issued by the Minister’s secretariat said.

The Air Dynasty helicopter with call sign 9N-AJD lost contact with the control tower minutes after it took off at 1:54 pm.

Meanwhile, the government has formed a three-member inquiry commission led by Subash Thapa, a senior pilot of the Nepal Army.

This was the second air crash in the country in two weeks. On June 24, a CRJ 200 aircraft of Saurya Airlines crashed near the runway of Tribhuvan International Airport claiming 20 lives.