Kathmandu, September 2:

Nepal and Singapore has agreed to renew bilateral air service agreement (ASA), agreeing to increase frequency of flights and liberalise the air services between these two countries.

Civil aviation officials of both the countries inked a preliminary ASA and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last Friday in Singapore. Madhav Prasad Dhakal, joint secretary at the ministry of culture, tourism and civil aviation (MoCTCA) and Yam Kum Weng, senior director of Singapore Civil Aviation Authority signed the pact on behalf of their respective governments.

The new pact has annulled previous ASA and commercial MoU signed on June 15, 1984 and added new provisions to facilitate air services between the two countries, according to MoCTCA. The new ASA has endorsed a multiple destination provision, allowing the airlines of these two countries to operate up to 28 flights a week using any type of aircraft between Kathmandu and Singapore. It has also increased cargo flight frequency up to 14 flights a week using any kind of cargo freighter under third and fifth cargo traffic rights.

The Singapore based airlines can fly additional 14 flights a week under the fifth freedom rights through seven different intermediate and beyond points. However, they cannot choose New Delhi and Dubai as these two points to exercise fifth freedom rights. But the provision is not applicable in terms of Nepali airlines and they can fly additional flights from any points in the region.

In terms of code sharing, bilateral intra-line and interline code share will be

allowed. They have also agreed to increase cooperation for human resource

development.