EU team returned after air safety audit

KATHMANDU, Oct 12: The European Union (EU) team has audited Nepal's airspace. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the team conducted preliminary studies in various areas of air safety for three days last week.

According to the CAAN, the team studied eight areas including legislation, organization, personal licensing, flight operations, air navigation, accident investigation, air navigation services, aerodrome and ground aids.

Jagannath Niraula, spokesperson of the authority, said that the EU's technical team conducted a preliminary study from last Thursday to Saturday (October 6 to 8). After the study, discussions were held between the EU team and the authorities.

"In the discussion after the study, the EU team has said that we are satisfied that Nepal's air security is good," Jagannath Niraula, the spokesperson of the authority, said, "This is the initial stage, its report will come on October 28."

He further added, "If there are issues raised in the report, we will reply again and submit evidence only after that the final report will come." However, Nepali airlines will now be allowed to fly to European countries.

In December 2013, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) listed Nepali Airlines as a serious safety concern due to the increased risk to Nepal's aviation security.

Previously, in the latest audit conducted by ICAO, the Nepalese sky was found to be safe.

In ICAO's safety audit, Nepal scored 70.1 percent. ICAO's team conducted a detailed study and evaluation from 13th April to 25th April and submitted a report to the authority on the increased safety score of the Nepali aviation sector.