Kathmandu: Flights into Nepal will be allowed to fly only if there is favorable weather forecast throughout their route, according to new rules recently announced after 22 deaths, officials said on Thursday.
A full investigation is underway into the Twin Otter plane crash in western Nepal on Sunday, but preliminary investigations suggest the crash was caused by bad weather.
Air traffic control lost contact with the twin-prop aircraft shortly after takeoff Pokhara and led to jomsomA popular Himalayan trekking destination.
The wreckage was found a day later, in which all 16 Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans were killed.
Airlines have raised concerns about the implementation of the new rules, citing the country’s limited weather forecasting infrastructure.
According to a notice issued on Tuesday by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, officials said the flight permit will now be issued only if the operator of the aircraft submits a flight plan with weather information for the destination and the entire route of the flight.
Earlier it was not mandatory to give weather information on the way.
Air operators may also be banned from operating flights if hydrology department And Meteorology forecasts the adverse weather conditions in any area for a given period of time.
Airlines say Nepal lacks the infrastructure for accurate weather forecasting, especially in remote areas in challenging mountainous terrain where fatal accidents have occurred in the past.
“While the decision is necessary and plays an important role in flight safety, we are skeptical about implementing it as there is no clear way to obtain weather information en route for domestic flights,” it said. Yoga Raj Kandel SharmaSpokesperson of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal.
The aviation authority has also formed a committee to look into the possibility of making it mandatory for two pilots in a single-engine helicopter.
Sunday’s crash was the latest air crash in the Himalayan country, which has some of the toughest runways in the world and where pilots will have to deal with mountainous weather.
Nepal’s air industry has boomed in recent years, moving goods and people to inaccessible areas.
In addition to the difficult flight conditions, however, it suffers from poor safety due to inadequate training and maintenance.
The European Union All Nepalese carriers have been banned from its airspace over security concerns.
A full investigation is underway into the Twin Otter plane crash in western Nepal on Sunday, but preliminary investigations suggest the crash was caused by bad weather.
Air traffic control lost contact with the twin-prop aircraft shortly after takeoff Pokhara and led to jomsomA popular Himalayan trekking destination.
The wreckage was found a day later, in which all 16 Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans were killed.
Airlines have raised concerns about the implementation of the new rules, citing the country’s limited weather forecasting infrastructure.
According to a notice issued on Tuesday by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, officials said the flight permit will now be issued only if the operator of the aircraft submits a flight plan with weather information for the destination and the entire route of the flight.
Earlier it was not mandatory to give weather information on the way.
Air operators may also be banned from operating flights if hydrology department And Meteorology forecasts the adverse weather conditions in any area for a given period of time.
Airlines say Nepal lacks the infrastructure for accurate weather forecasting, especially in remote areas in challenging mountainous terrain where fatal accidents have occurred in the past.
“While the decision is necessary and plays an important role in flight safety, we are skeptical about implementing it as there is no clear way to obtain weather information en route for domestic flights,” it said. Yoga Raj Kandel SharmaSpokesperson of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal.
The aviation authority has also formed a committee to look into the possibility of making it mandatory for two pilots in a single-engine helicopter.
Sunday’s crash was the latest air crash in the Himalayan country, which has some of the toughest runways in the world and where pilots will have to deal with mountainous weather.
Nepal’s air industry has boomed in recent years, moving goods and people to inaccessible areas.
In addition to the difficult flight conditions, however, it suffers from poor safety due to inadequate training and maintenance.
The European Union All Nepalese carriers have been banned from its airspace over security concerns.