Simrik Air accuses CAAN of abusing authority

KATHMANDU, August 11: Simrik Air has accused the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal of taking unnecessary action after the company spoke against the regulator.
The company made this allegation after the authority stopped all the helicopter flights of Simrik from Friday onwards for not paying its dues on time.
Captain Rameshwar Thapa, Chairman of Simrik Air and  president of the Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN), in a statement, said, “For the past few years, the authority has been causing trouble for no reason to discourage private sector-run airlines and to destroy this business.”
On August 6, the authority sent a letter to Simrik Air, asking it to settle the accounts within seven days. However, the authority has taken action before the date given in the letter, in a malicious manner, with prejudice, to take revenge, and by abusing its rights.  The company alleges that false and misleading news has been disseminated to harm the dignity of this organization, the statement further reads. 
The company claims that it has been gradually paying the amount to the authority and the said letter is the outstanding amount that appeared during the closure of the account.
Simrik Air said that if the amount matches the company's flight details and calculations, it will be paid and if not, it will request the authority to correct it.
On Friday, Simrik sent a letter to the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, and the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), asking for compensation for the damages from the authority.