KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 28
The European Commission has announced plans to conduct an on-site assessment visit to Nepal with the assistance of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the support of member states in coming months.
The recently updated EU Air Safety List (ASL) had mentioned 91 air carriers, including 20 Nepali airlines, raising concerns for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
A joint statement released today by Nona Deprez, EU ambassador to Nepal, and Pradeep Adhikari, director general of CAAN, has explained that the EU Air Safety Committee was briefed about the progress made by Nepal in terms of air safety during the meeting of the committee held in Brussels from November 10 to 11. Although the adoption of a new regulation on the functional separation of the CAAN's regulatory and service provider roles has been assessed by EU, it is stated that the implementation of this regulation and progress in aligning CAAN's safety oversight capacity with the international safety standards is yet to be verified through an onsite assessment visit to the country.
"The European Commission will continue to work closely with CAAN to assist where possible in Nepal's efforts to improve the aviation safety situation in the country, whilst at the same time ensuring that any potential safety risks to the travelling public are contained," the press release reads.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 29, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
