Kathmandu, August 23

Even though the government has announced it will allow both domestic and international flights to resume operations from September 1, the operation of domestic flights is still uncertain.

Along with following the health safety protocols there are other technical issues that need to be sorted out due to which there is still a question mark on when domestic flights will resume. According to a source at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA), the government is still holding discussions with domestic airline operators regarding the flight resumption plan.

“The government is obliged to reopen international flights focusing on Nepalis returning home. Resumption of international flights will be accorded more priority as there are many Nepalis who are stranded in different countries due to the COVID-19 and want to return home,” the source said. “As the government at present is more focused on international flights, no concrete decision has been taken regarding resumption of domestic flights.”

However, considering the worsening situation due to the rise in COVID-19 cases, resumption of domestic flights might be postponed, the source added.

“Conducting international flights following the direction of the government to bring 500 passengers a day is already a challenge for MoCTCA. The ministry is currently busy with that task, thus there has been no plan prepared for the domestic sector,” the source informed.

Meanwhile, Airline Operators Association of Nepal has been pressuring the government to resume flights citing that they are ready to operate flights by following the safety protocols prepared by the government.

Earlier they had even threatened the government to launch a protest if domestic flights are not allowed to resume from September 1.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on August 24, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.