Though, the private airlines have been pushing the government to split Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) as soon as possible, the trade unions are against the government move to split the aviation sector regulatory body.
Speaking at the 21st anniversary programme of aviation sector regulator today, they warned of padlocking the office, if the decision to split CAAN to two entities is not rolled back. However, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has already decided to bifurcate CAAN into regulation and operational bodies.
Chair of CAAN Trade Union Shrawan Kumar Yadav, on the occasion, said that the union has already started second phase of protest against the ministry's decision. But minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai, on the occasion, said that the government will go ahead with the CAAN restructuring plan. “The CAAN restructuring plan will not impact professional development of its employees,” he said assuring the CAAN staffers. “But government will come hard on staffers, who object to the decision.”
Restructuring the CAAN is one of the pre conditions to take Nepal out of European Union (EU) black list. The EU has back listed Nepali aircrafts to fly to European skies. Thus, the government is preparing to split CAAN to make the regulatory authority more effective according to the international aviation principles. The split will also prompt the EU remove Nepal from its air safety list, paving way for the Nepali airlines to fly in the European space.
The private airliners, on the occasion, however urged the government to split CAAN – into two entities to avoid hurting the aviation sector – as soon as possible. Its 9 years, the government has been struggling to split CAAN but the plan has not moved forward. Due to delays in passing the legislation, international aviation safety agencies have been slamming Nepal’s poor progress in ensuring air safety.
The government has prepared a draft Civil Aviation Bill that has already been submitted to the Legislative Committee of the cabinet seeking approval to register it in the Parliament. “The proposed law envisages integrating previous acts to eliminate conflicts and contradictions at the CAAN, which is currently functioning as both regulator and service provider, and there is no clear demarcation between its duties and organisational structure, according to the ministry.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) was established as an independent regulatory body on December 31, 1998 as a result of the Civil Aviation Act of 1996. The new law is expected to replace two existing acts, the Civil Aviation Act 1959 and the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Act 1996.
In December 2013, the European Commission imposed a blanket ban on all airlines from Nepal from flying into the 28-nation bloc after the September 2012 crash of Sita Air Flight 601 in the Manohara River that killed 19 people, including seven British citizens. Likewise, between 2008 and 2012, there were at least two air crashes annually.
“The ban has had a profound impact on Nepal’s aviation and tourism industry,” president of the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) Rameshwor Thapa said, adding that travellers hesitate to visit the country, which has been questioned by the commission.
Likewise, tourism secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, on the occasion, said that Nepal’s aviation safety has improved a lot, but there are many things to be done because improvement is a continuous process.
Speaking at the 21st anniversary programme of aviation sector regulator today, they warned of padlocking the office, if the decision to split CAAN to two entities is not rolled back. However, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has already decided to bifurcate CAAN into regulation and operational bodies.
Chair of CAAN Trade Union Shrawan Kumar Yadav, on the occasion, said that the union has already started second phase of protest against the ministry's decision. But minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai, on the occasion, said that the government will go ahead with the CAAN restructuring plan. “The CAAN restructuring plan will not impact professional development of its employees,” he said assuring the CAAN staffers. “But government will come hard on staffers, who object to the decision.”
Restructuring the CAAN is one of the pre conditions to take Nepal out of European Union (EU) black list. The EU has back listed Nepali aircrafts to fly to European skies. Thus, the government is preparing to split CAAN to make the regulatory authority more effective according to the international aviation principles. The split will also prompt the EU remove Nepal from its air safety list, paving way for the Nepali airlines to fly in the European space.
The private airliners, on the occasion, however urged the government to split CAAN – into two entities to avoid hurting the aviation sector – as soon as possible. Its 9 years, the government has been struggling to split CAAN but the plan has not moved forward. Due to delays in passing the legislation, international aviation safety agencies have been slamming Nepal’s poor progress in ensuring air safety.
The government has prepared a draft Civil Aviation Bill that has already been submitted to the Legislative Committee of the cabinet seeking approval to register it in the Parliament. “The proposed law envisages integrating previous acts to eliminate conflicts and contradictions at the CAAN, which is currently functioning as both regulator and service provider, and there is no clear demarcation between its duties and organisational structure, according to the ministry.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) was established as an independent regulatory body on December 31, 1998 as a result of the Civil Aviation Act of 1996. The new law is expected to replace two existing acts, the Civil Aviation Act 1959 and the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority Act 1996.
In December 2013, the European Commission imposed a blanket ban on all airlines from Nepal from flying into the 28-nation bloc after the September 2012 crash of Sita Air Flight 601 in the Manohara River that killed 19 people, including seven British citizens. Likewise, between 2008 and 2012, there were at least two air crashes annually.
“The ban has had a profound impact on Nepal’s aviation and tourism industry,” president of the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) Rameshwor Thapa said, adding that travellers hesitate to visit the country, which has been questioned by the commission.
Likewise, tourism secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, on the occasion, said that Nepal’s aviation safety has improved a lot, but there are many things to be done because improvement is a continuous process.
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