Kathmandu, May 27 :

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) recently issued a notice to the Karnali Air, seeking explanation on its pilots’ conduct after a blood test confirmed that one of the airlines’ pilots had consumed alcohol on May 14.

The CAAN is expected to take action against the concerned pilot for violating aviation rules.

“Blood test results proved that the concerned Karnali Air pilot had indeed consumed alcohol on May 14,” said Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, chief of CAAN’s Air Safety Department.

CAAN has already forwarded an official letter to Karnali Air, demanding that the airline probe the incident and submit an explanation letter regarding the pilot’s conduct. “However, we

are yet to receive any response from the airlines,” Suman said.

The CAAN had grounded the concerned pilot after detecting an alarming level of alcohol consumption in its random breathalyser test on 18 pilots of Yeti Airlines, Gorkha Airlines, Sita Air, Buddha Air, Shangrila Air, Air Dynasty and Karnali Air at the Tribhuwan International Airport.