KATHMANDU, JUNE 10

Domestic airline operators have submitted Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) for flight resumption after the lockdown.

As the government is preparing to resume domestic flights soon, the CAAN had asked the private airlines companies to prepare their own SOPs to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Based on the direction, domestic airline companies have submitted their SOPs to the CAAN for approval today.

“CAAN is preparing to resume the flights, so we had been asked to prepare SOP to prevent spread of COVID-19 and for the protection of airlines crew, ground staff and passengers from infection of such disease,” said Yog Raj Kandel, spokesperson for Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN).

All the fixed wing and chopper operators are in ready position to resume flights, he added.

Recently CAAN had issued ‘Guidance to Airlines, Airports and Ground Services for Operations during COVID-19’.

“Following the guidance of CAAN and the World Health Organisation, we have prepared our SOP. After we get the approval, we will go for flight resumption,” he said.

The SOP has been submitted to Raju Shrestha, chief of flight safety standard division of CAAN, during a meeting held today.

The government has suspended all domestic and international flights till June 14.

After that, the CAAN is preparing to resume domestic flights and gradually international flights on priority basis.

Tribhuvan International Airport and other domestic airports have been renovated with marking for social distancing and other facilities have been arranged to maintain hygiene.

Ministry of Culture Tourism and Civil Aviation has also submitted a proposal to the Cabinet for domestic flight resumption. Along with this, airline operators have been making necessary internal arrangements — from staffers to flight schedules.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 11, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.