Domestic airlines unable to operate for 18 hours a day: AOAN

KATHMANDU: Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has said domestic airlines are unable to operate flights for 18 hours a day due to various technical issues. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) increased domestic flight operation time to 18 hours a day to manage growing air traffic at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and asked the airlines to submit the flight schedules. Responding to the directive of the airlines' regulatory body, the association issued a press statement that said the decision of CAAN to expand the domestic flight operation time to 18 hours a day was arbitrary. Spokesperson for the association, Yog Raj Kandel Sharma said the domestic airlines are unable to operate after 8:00 pm as the companies have to arrange for the management of staff in three shifts. He asserted that the domestic airlines were not prepared to work in the expanded operation time. He said the regulatory body should have consulted with the airlines about the infrastructures and practicability of new arrangements before asking them to submit the schedules for the operation of flights for 18 hours. Meanwhile, the AOAN has urged CAAN to scrap the new arrangements related to the slot issued on April 27, 2022, and continue with the arrangements related to the slot issued on April 16. Meanwhile, the airline operators association has arranged to hold a meeting with CAAN officials to deal with the problems being faced by the domestic airlines. In keeping with the rise in air traffic, the CAAN has decided to run the airport from 6:00 am through midnight in Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Simara, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and Dhangadhi. READ ALSO:

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