Nepal CAA Director Calls for Review of Air Route Availability and Airport Investment Model

Kathmandu. Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Mukesh Dangol, has stated that the current investment model for air route availability and airport construction needs immediate review for the development of Nepal's aviation sector. Speaking at a meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the Federal Parliament on Friday, he emphasized the need for Nepal's aviation policy to take a leap forward. Dangol stated that landlocked Nepal should not remain 'sky-locked' and clarified the need for flexibility in air routes. He informed that the traffic in the Simara area has increased due to the very limited entry points for air traffic into Nepal. He mentioned that although an agreement was reached with the Indian government in 2016 to make the Mahendranagar, Bhairahawa, and Janakpur routes bilateral, it could not be implemented due to technical reasons. Dangol said, 'Although there is an agreement at the policy level, work remains at the technical level. Aviation bodies of both countries must publish the routes in the Aeronautical Information Publication at the same time.' He informed that although dialogue was broken due to COVID after 2019, the issue was recently raised again during the Foreign Minister's visit to India, and a joint technical team meeting between the Authority and the Indian Airport Authority is being prepared to be held soon. Referring to Gautam Buddha and Pokhara International Airports, Director General Dangol warned that the debt investment in large infrastructure could push the Authority towards bankruptcy. He stated that instead of building new airports, the focus should be on the safety and upgrading of the existing 55 airports. He added, 'If we continue to build airports in the same way as today, the burden of debt will cause problems. Our investment priority should shift from construction to air safety and efficiency. The parliamentary committee needs to provide clear direction on this matter.' Dangol stressed the development of domestic airlines, stating that we should not rely solely on foreign airlines for airport operations. Citing Singapore and Qatar as examples, he said, 'Our airports will operate only when the number of our own aircraft increases. We have set up the shop now, but we have to wait for customers.' He stated that the additional expenses, including VAT, incurred when bringing aircraft into Nepal discourage investors, and he expressed the opinion that a coordinated effort is necessary to create a business environment. Responding to technical questions raised in the meeting, Dangol also discussed the flight disruptions during winter and geographical complexities at Tumlingtar Airport. He also clarified that reporting to the ministry is being done daily and weekly to solve the problems seen in the physical infrastructure and services of Tribhuvan International Airport, and improvement works are ongoing.