MoCTCA stops Himalaya Airlines from using ground-handling licence

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 27

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has said that Himalaya Airlines which had been provided the licence for self ground-handling services will not be allowed to implement it for the time being.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) had recently provided the self ground-handling licence to the airline company.

However, during a meeting today with CAAN officials, Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai has directed the authority not to allow Himalaya Airlines to implement that licence. The minister has also requested CAAN to conduct further study on the financial and technical status of the airline company.

CAAN had come under heavy criticism in the media for handing over the licence to Himalaya Airlines without completing the due legal procedures.

However, issuing a press statement, CAAN has claimed that Himalaya Airlines has completed all the legal procedures and that is the reason that the authority provided the licence to operate self ground-handling services to the company. However, the tourism minister has asked CAAN to stop the company from utilising the licence.

After receiving the licence, Himalaya Airlines would have been allowed to conduct all the activities related to ground-handling services. The ground-handling services include activities like taking passengers off the plane and vice versa, providing bus service to ferry them from the plane to the terminal building and vice versa, managing the baggage of passengers from the aircraft to the baggage retrieval area, ticketing and other services related to passengers.

Along with this, Minister Bhattarai has also directed CAAN to reassess the financial and technical status of other airline companies that have been provided the self ground-handling licence. Currently, Nepal Airlines Corporation has the authority to provide ground-handling services at Tribhuvan international Airport while among foreign airline companies, CAAN has provided the self ground-handling licence to Thai Air and Air India.