It will be a reward for CAAN if it can convince the EU to remove Nepali airlines from its blacklist
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has a budget of Rs 41.85 billion for the current fiscal year, which will go into upgrading airports across the country and building new infrastructure. The country's air regulatory body has a great task at hand in keeping Nepal connected both internally and externally by enhancing airport infrastructure, which has always been crucial for this mountainous, landlocked country. It, thus, has the onus to develop airport infrastructure to international standards to enhance flight safety and provide quality services to the passengers. Nepal currently has two international airports and a third of its kind will start operating soon, while there are more than 40 domestic airports dotting the Tarai, hills and mountains. With an increasing number of people travelling by air both inside the country and outside, there is growing pressure on the airports to expand and improve efficiency in handling passengers. It is apparent that tourism in Nepal cannot foster in the absence of quality air transport infrastructure.
Since 1990, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), the only gateway to Nepal by air until recently, has undergone multiple expansions, but the flow of passengers keep growing, congesting it all the time. The construction of a new international and domestic terminal, a new parallel taxiway, apron area, a hangar and a security building at the TIA has become urgent. CAAN will also be upgrading the Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) in Bhairahawa, which opened to commercial flights in May this year. As for the Pokhara International Airport, the work of flattening the Ritthe Pani hill and relocation of the landfill site nearby must be carried out at the earliest, so that its inauguration is not delayed. There are, however, lessons to be learnt from the construction of the GBIA, which has not seen the desired number of international flights as envisaged. The inability to secure an alternative air route from the west of the country from the Indian government to land at the GBIA poses a problem as it raises the operating cost of airlines. The main objective of having an international airport at Bhairahawa was to attract Buddhist tourists to Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Entrepreneurs have invested heavily in luxury hotels and other facilities, hoping to see a tourist windfall.
The government must, therefore, lobby the airlines from the Buddhist countries of south-east Asia as well as the Far East to fly to the GBIA. Tourists apart, if more airlines from the Gulf countries were to provide their services from the GBIA, migrant workers from the west of the country would not need to travel to the capital.
With representatives of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) due to visit Nepal next month, it will be a major achievement for CAAN if it can convince it to remove the ban on Nepali airlines from flying in European airspace. Since the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has already given a good score to Nepali airlines, we can hope that the flight safety audit of EASA will also be positive. Once Nepal is removed from the blacklist, Nepal Airlines can fly to destinations like London, Paris and Frankfurt as in the past.
Erratic rainfall
This year's monsoon has once again become active in most parts of the country and will continue till today, as per the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. There is a chance of light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning in many parts, especially in Province 1, Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini. Although the monsoon rain has become active to the east of Lumbini, there is less rainfall in the mid- and far-western regions. The erratic rainfall has resulted in less paddy plantation in the far-west though paddy plantation time is nearing to a close. As of now, less than 70 per cent of arable land has been planted, and farmers are still waiting for more rains so that they can plant paddy before mid-August.
The department had earlier anticipated more than average rainfall in the western parts of the country. Less rainfall in the middle of the monsoon means the farmers will not be able to plant paddy in time, resulting in a food crisis even in the Tarai region, which is considered the food basket. Erratic rainfall has worried the farmers, who have already suffered due to a shortage of chemical fertilisers at the time of paddy plantation. Last year also, the standing crop was damaged because of unusual rains in October-end.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 2, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
