Kathmandu, December 30

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal is all set to observe the 18th year of gaining statutory autonomy granted to the organisation by the Act of 1996.

However, going by the quality of human resources at CAAN, it is unlikely that it will improve anytime soon, and instead continues to produce sub-standard workforce who go on to work in organisations such as the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and airlines.

Civil aviation is diverse, requiring able technical and managerial personnel in fields like aerodrome construction and maintenance, maintaining sensitive electrical-mechanical equipment and electronic aids, air traffic control, regulatory oversight of air operators and aviation personnel.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation has prescribed certification of aviation personnel and operators-air carriers and aerodromes for this reason.

Such certification is required to ensure predictability and standardisation of operations in a domain susceptible to dire consequences from a single misstep. Nepal sorely lacks skilled personnel to do so. Other stakeholders airlines and passengers are left to face the brunt of the shoddy standards of its monopoly services.

According to multiple sources, CAAN’s recruitment process of air traffic controllers that form much of its current framework is deeply flawed.

The selection of trainees for the ATC course at a CAAN operated civil aviation academy is not transparent, as the low number of applicants reveal. The number of ATC job openings at CAAN equals the number of trainees completing the academy course, the sources revealed.

Even though the Public Service Commission is now involved in the process of hiring permanent ATCs, it has no say in the selection process of the trainees, the sources explained.

In the absence of checks, the selections process cannot be deemed credible as well as free of corruption and nepotism, especially when the training ensures a job and growth opportunities without acquiring specialised aviation degrees from abroad that are necessary for scaling the higher positions.

CAAN officials have admitted that controllers hired for an aviation position focus most of their energy in using influence to seek high-profile positions of airport chiefs and other unrelated positions.

“This results to 11th level former ATC-background directors without sound management credentials managing airports at Nepalgunj, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Bhairahwa, with multi-crore budgets whereas key technical policy-making positions at the head office are occupied by lesser officiating directors.”

In the absence of quality workforce, CAAN continues to be shortchanged even by its foreign consultants hired for substantial remuneration like Japan Airport Consultant in International Competitive Bidding-01 and 02 projects, and the Spanish firm-INECO in the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project, the officials said.