Allow private airlines to fly to India

By A Staff Reporter

At a time when  tourism entrepreneurs have been clamoring for efficiency and capability from Nepal’s national flag carrier Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) and demanding licences for more domestic airlines to operate in the international sector, Buddha Air is aspiring to fly to international destinations.

Buddha Air, one of the fastest growing private sector domestic airlines in the country, has demanded for licence to operate to Indian cities of Lucknow, Banaras and Patna. Similarly, it has also requested permit to fly to Bhutan’s capital Thimpu and to Lhasa, the touristic center of China’s autonomous region of Tibet.

As talks between Nepal and India to resume the stalled flights of Indian Airlines to Nepal held last week ended without positive decision, the Nepalese tourism entrepreneurs seem to be more aggressive in consolidating their own airlines rather than depending on the foreign airliners to bring in more tourists to the country.

Buddha Air’s demand has came at a time when Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA) urged the government to provide permit to more private sector airlines operator to fly in the international sector. It’s time for the government to think over consolidating our own airlines’ operators no matter whether they are private or public.

It may be interesting to note that after the government resorted to open air policy few years back, it had given licences to four private sector airlines companies to fly in the international sector. However, only one of them, namely Necon Air, started flights to Patna, India. Others are reportedly renewing their licences every year with the hope that the government will provide them with other economically viable routes.

In this situation, the government must think of either providing them with other viable routes or cancel their licences to provide it to others who are willing to fly to those sectors. At the same time, the government should also try to utilize optimum air-seats provided according to the air-seat agreements, specially that with India.

According to the ASA with India, Nepal can atmost operate 6,000 one-way air-seats per week. This number is divided between Necon Air (610 seats), Alpine Air (600 seats) and Air Nepal International Airways (880 seats) and the remaining to the RNAC. Of those weekly assigned seats, RNAC is using about 3,400 and Necon Air is using only 200 seats every week. Both Alpine Air and Air Nepal International Airways are yet to utilize those seats.

Resumption of IA flights uncertain

By A Staff Reporter

The resumption of the Indian Airlines’ flight to Kathmandu has become still more uncertain after the talks between the Civil Aviation Authorities of the two countries ended inconclusively on Saturday.

Although both  sides are tight-lipped about what caused the talks to fail or what the talks had focused on, there are rumours that the talks reached a dead-end after Nepal refused several Indian proposals, which included Nepal stopping the Pakistan International Airlines from coming to Kathmandu.

However, both  sides refused to divulge anything about the talks. It is however indicated that  serious differences may have cropped up during the talks.

If the point made by the director at the Department of Civil Aviation Haribhakta Shrestha, who led the Nepalese side in the talks, is any indication the talks had failed to focus on the main issue — security at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

At the joint press meet after the talks, Shrestha, more than once, said that the issue of security did not crop up even once during the 5-day long talks. “The whole talk was focused only on the airlines, and there was no proposal of bringing in Indian security personnel,” he said.

He said many things were agreed on during the talks, and several others remain to be polished. Shrestha added, the Indian side was satisfied with the steps taken by Nepal to strengthen the security at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Leader of the Indian delegation was very brief in his comment. All he said was that they would meet again. But if the talks did not dwell on security, what was the main point raised by the India?

Reporters who had been following the talks witnessed that the talks did not take place for more than a couple of hours a day. On Friday, the talks could not even take place after the Indian side failed to turn up.

Although, no date or venue has been set for the next round of talks, the joint statement at the end of the talks say the talks will resume after some weeks. But there is little chance of future talks becoming fruitful if the Indian side does not change its stance.

According to a reliable source, who does not want to be identified, Nepal was, and is, ready to go to the maximum extent possible under the international civil aviation norms and practices to make the talks a success.

Meanwhile, the failure of the talks has been taken by the tourism entrepreneurs in Nepal with disappointment. Tourism people say it has already lost about Rs. 700 million because of the suspension of the flights by the Indian Airlines.

Recently, the tourism entrepreneur had organised an interaction programme calling for the resumption of the Indian Airlines flights vis-a-vis increasing the air seat capacity.

The tourism people have been calling for more flights to India by the Royal Nepal Airlines and also private airlines.

Presently, there are 6000 air seats per week made available.

According to a press release of the Nepal Association of Travel Agents, 610 seats are alloted for Necon Air, 600 seats to Alpine Air, 880 seats to Air Nepal International Airways and the rest to the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation.

Of them, the RNAC is utilitising almost all the seats. Among the private airlines only Necon Air has been operating flights across the border to Patna. The main reason the private airlines have not been able to utitlise the air seats alloted to them is the lack of aircraft. If these airlines can not utilise the air seats available to them, then it would be pertinent to give it to others who can operate.  NATA has also said that if other private airlines say they can utilise the air seats, there is no reason why they should not be given a chance.

Promoting tourism in mysterious Mustang

By A Staff Reporter

In a bid to promote mysterious Mustang King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation (KMTNC) and the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) late March. The understanding basically is geared towards  development of tourism and natural conservation in the Lo-Manthang region of upper Mustang.

Charang stupa, Mustang.

The NTB will assist the KMTNC with the upgrading of the information centre at Kagbeni and Lo-Manthang; formation of camping/hotel management committee: posting of sign posts; putting up of location map board; construction of porter/pilgrim shelter; brochure publication; waste management programme incinerator building/repair maintenance work and running of tourism awareness camps.

The two organisations pledge to share information, have regular interactions on conservation and tourism development of the region.

The NTB and the KMTNC shall make an effort to put in synergy the programmes launched by the respective institutions and if possible work together on other programmes on environment and tourism development in the future, the NTB press release said.