KATHMANDU, April 29: Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Director General Pradeep Adhikari has warned domestic airline companies not to make money by giving hassles to the people.
Speaking in Bhairahawa after the test flight of Nepal Airlines widebody aircraft at the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) on Thursday, Director General Adhikari warned of taking action against the domestic airlines if they refuse to implement the night flight plan.
He clarified that a decision was taken to operate the domestic airports for 18 hours and international airports for 24 hours to solve the problem of people having to stay at the airports for hours.
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Adhikari expressed dissatisfaction over the statement issued by the domestic airlines that they are unable to operate for 18 hours a day.
Stating that the inconvenience caused to the people by the airlines should not be forgotten, he said that the authority was ready to help the domestic airline companies if they work for the convenience of the people.
Similarly, he said that the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will come into operation for 24 hours a day from May 16 to manage air traffic congestion. He said that the GBIA will also be operated round the clock from the same day.
Director General Adhikari said that the seven airports in Terai from Chandragadhi to Dhangadhi started operating for 18 hours as even two international airports are not enough.
Earlier, the airlines’ association issued a statement, saying that no flight would be able to take off after 8PM on Thursday. The authority had written a letter to the airlines operating regular flights on Wednesday informing them about the new flight schedule.
