Nepali Congress Discusses Air Safety Issues with Prime Minister Oli

Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba, along with a group of party lawmakers, held a meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to discuss domestic air safety issues. The discussion primarily focused on progressing the civil aviation bills aimed at restructuring the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

The proposed legislation intends to bifurcate CAAN into two separate entities: a service provider and a regulatory body. Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajendra Bajgai stated that during the Sunday meeting, the necessity of advancing the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Bill and the Air Service Authority of Nepal Bill, along with other contemporary issues, was emphasized.

The lawmakers also highlighted the importance of enhancing the safety of Nepal’s aviation sector to make it more reliable and to support the development and promotion of the tourism industry. According to Bajgai, the consensus among NC lawmakers is that having CAAN function both as a service provider and a regulatory body creates a conflict of interest, which is against international practices. This conflict underscores the need to split the aviation body into two distinct entities to ensure better air safety.

The European Union has previously expressed concerns over air safety in Nepal and has advised the country to have separate bodies for service provision and regulation.

President Deuba was accompanied by NC lawmakers Jeevan Pariyar, Ramesh Lekhak, Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba, Ishwori Neupane, Sanjay Gautam, Uday Shumsher Rana, Rajan KC, Pratima Gautam, Sarita Prasai, Ramkrishna Yadav, Pushpa Bahadur Shahi, Shanti Pariyar, Sita Mijar, and Rajendra Bajgai during the meeting.

Bajgai noted that the twin bills, which had been endorsed by the National Assembly, became inactive upon reaching the House of Representatives.