Kathmandu, November 14:

A Letter of Agreement has been signed between the Area Control Centres of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) of China on Air

Traffic Services Coordination, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said today.

According to the CAAN, the agreement was needed to bring about “necessary amendments” relating to some provisions in the previous Letter of Agreement signed between the two sides.

Issuing a press release today, the CAAN said that the agreement was required immediately as China is bringing Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) into effect from November 21.

Nepal had implemented RVSM in 2003. After China will effect RVSM, more flight levels will be available for both the countries between 29,000 feet to 41,000 feet. Under the RVSM system, instead of the existing 2,000 feet level separation, the separation distance will be of 1,000 feet. A five-member team from China that came here to sign the Agreement was led by the Deputy Director General of China’s Southwest Air Traffic Management Bureau, Wang Jia Cai. The Nepali team was led by Mohan Adhikari, director of the CAAN.