Kathmandu, September 22:

Aviation authorities today said in view of the risk of air accidents occurring on hills and mountains, aviation safety should be a priority in all areas of aviation sector. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s target is to ensure zero air fatalities. “Air fatalities are not limited to landing and take-off of aircraft at the airports, therefore safety concerns should be taken seriously and all possible precautionary measures should be taken in all areas of aviation, right from the entrance and check-in points at the airports,” said Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s Office of Aviation Safety department at a programme today.

He was speaking at a programme titled “Hazards to accident investigation” organised by the CAAN’s Office of Aviation Safety department here today. CAAN’s objective is also to educate the concerned individuals regarding air safety, use qualified and trained manpower and make it mandatory for them to follow rules and regulations as well as work in close coordination with the safety management system. Rajesh Raj Dalli, director general of CAAN, committed to support air safety enhancement and pointed out the need for organisations to have safety management systems. CAAN authorities said huge amounts are spent during accident investigations following air crashes. In view of this, collective action plans are being formed to avoid such fatalities in future.