KATHMANDU, March 13: Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA), the umbrella association of Nepali travel agents and tour operators, has opposed the decision of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to distribute bonus to its staffers.
Issuing a statement, NATTA has said that the decision taken by former tourism minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi was against CAAN Act 1996, Bonus Act 1973 and Bonus Rules 1982.
The decision has thrown cold water on our hope that CAAN would spend the money collected from air passengers to expand existing airports and develop infrastructure of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), NATTA said.
NATTA has also reminded that the European Union (EU) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have kept Nepali Airlines in blacklist as CAAN has not upgraded infrastructure of TIA and improved safety standards at Nepal's only international airport.
The decision has paved way for CAAN to distribute Rs 159 million to its 800 staffers. Each staff will get an average of Rs 199,062.