Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has said that it had completed all preparations to resume commercial aviation service from August 17 with limited flights in both domestic and international sectors. The entire aviation sector of Nepal, including individual airlines operators, has now prepared to resume commercial aviation service from August 17, said Raj Kumar Chhetry, spokesperson of the CAAN.

After lifting the lockdown in four months, the government had recently announced to resume the domestic and international aviation services from August 17.
Chhetry said that both domestic and international flights would be resumed for limited numbers for the implementation of health protocol in the time of pandemic. He, however, said that the number of flights to conduct in a day is yet to be finalised.
Airports and concerned airline companies have prepared the standard operating procedures (SOP) as per the guidelines issued by the CAAN to maintain health protocols to combat the spread of COVID-19, he said.
Devendra KC, general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), said that the airport was ready to resume both domestic and international aviation services as per the guidelines of the CAAN.
He said that the TIA had already made and implemented the SOP during the repatriation and other emergency flights to combat the spread of coronavirus from the airport.
Although the number of flights per day is yet to be finalised from the CAAN and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, it will be appropriate to operate 10 to 15 international flights

per day on the basis of available space and to implement the SOP, KC said.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the airline operators and CAAN has decided to operate domestic airlines from 6 AM to 6 PM and handle maximum 300 passengers per hour for the first week after the resumption of aviation service.
As per the decision, airline operators would demand schedules with the CAAN collectively to maintain the ceiling of 300 passengers per hour in the terminal.

To maintain the health protocols, the airline operators should move their passengers from the departure area as soon as possible after completing the check-in service towards the plane. If the flights get delayed by any reason, they need to manage their passengers in bus, hanger and plane.
Yograj Kanel, spokesperson of Airlines Operators Association Nepal (AOAN), said that all private airlines had completed the preparation to operate their service as per the guidelines of CAAN.
All airline operators have approved their SOP from the CAAN as a preparation to operate their service from August 17, he said.
Kanel said that 15 to 30 domestic flights serving maximum 350 passengers from TIA would be conducted in the first week after the resumption of domestic flights.

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