The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has decided to implement new regulations, in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), to strengthen the country's aviation safety following the fatal crash of Yeti Airlines 9N-ANC aircraft in Pokhara that killed all 72 people on board on January 15. CAAN, the regulatory body, has decided to limit the above ground level (AGL) distance for aircraft while on stabilised approach, reduce flight limitation time at Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) airports and revoke the existing provisions related to augmented flight time limitation, among others. The existing approach procedure for the domestic air operators was reviewed with the stakeholders, and the decisions have been taken to enforce new regulations with immediate effect. CAAN has decided to mandate stabilised approach for all aircraft in Nepal after reaching 500 feet above the ground level during visual flight rules operation in rural airports and 1,000 feet for aircraft conducting VFR operation in other airports. In airports having the facility of instrumental flight rules (IFR) systems, all aircraft, apart from STOL aircraft, are mandated to follow only the IFR approach even during the day time. Aircraft will not be allowed to request for change of runway, turn around, roll, or pitch up or down after descending to their designated level of altitude.

The regulatory body had to take these measures after Yeti Airlines' fatal crash in the day time when the weather was clear at the newly-built airport in Pokhara. Although the probe panel has yet to submit its report, the authorities believe the Yeti aircraft met with the accident due to change of approach route and its turn around when it was flying at low altitude. Following the air crash, the flow of air passengers has dropped by almost half, and the airlines have reduced their flights to just 26 from the usual 48 a day at a time when winter is the busiest tourist season in Pokhara. In a bid to reduce fatigue risk of the crew members, CAAN has decided to limit STOL operations to eight landings and eight hours a day as flight time limitation. From now onwards, CAAN has also decided to conduct skill tests of all designated check pilots from the simulation check pilot of respective aircraft manufacturing companies.

Nepali airlines were on the cusp of being removed from the European Union's blacklist, which has been in place since 2013. However, the Yeti Airlines crash, one of the biggest in recent times, has dashed Nepal's hope of being lifted from the EU's ban on Nepali airlines from flying into its skies. Nepali airlines could have done good business in Europe had the EU lifted its ban. But Nepal needs to do more, including bi-furcating CAAN into two entities, one as a regulatory and another as an air accident investigation body, before expecting anything positive from the EU.

CAAN should have taken such measures immediately after the EU's ban on its skies to improve the airworthiness of Nepali airlines. What were the authorities involved in the civil aviation sector doing for the last 10 years to improve the country's air safety? The authorities have a tendency to be complacent, which should change to make Nepal's aviation sector safe at par with international standards.

Climate change woes

Barring some districts in far-west Nepal, the rest of the country saw no rain or snow this winter. Some rain is expected in the month of January across the country, which greatly helps the winter crops to grow while clearing the cities of dust and smog. The majestic Himalayan peaks that draw tens of thousands of trekkers are without snow this year, thus losing their appeal. The absence of snow in Mustang and the upper belt in the trans-Himalayan region is causing anxiety in the farmers, who fear that their land might not yield crops like barley, onions and potatoes this year. Although famous for its apples, their output is also expected to drop due to lack of moisture. Snow is also needed to form glaciers in the Himalayas, which provide water to the rivers throughout the year.

Due to climate change, Nepal has been witnessing extreme temperatures as well as unpredictable rain and snow in recent years. Floods, landslides and droughts have become more intense, jeorpardising the livelihoods of the people, the bulk of whom depend on agriculture for sustenance. We must thus learn to adapt to the changing climatic conditions, which calls for cultivating new crop varieties that can withstand drought conditions.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 3, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.