British ambassador calls on tourism Minister Kirati

KATHMANDU, May 20:A meeting was held between the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kirati, and the British ambassador to Nepal, Nicola Kathryn Pollitt

Tourism Minister Kirati said that in the meeting at the Ministry  there was a discussion regarding the initiative to remove Nepal's skies from the air safety list and direct flights.

The European Union (EU) has kept Nepal in its air safety list for the past 11 years. Since 2013, the European Commission under the EU has put Nepal in the flight safety list, showing security concerns over Nepal's airspace.

The EU blacklisting of Nepali airlines follows the ICAO's strong concerns about their 'poor' safety procedures. Despite the fact that the ICAO removed Nepal from its blacklist in July 2017, the EU has yet to do so.
     
According to the Ministry of Tourism, efforts are being made to lift restrictions with the EU due to the progress made by Nepal in aviation security. ICAO's latest 'audit' has shown that significant progress has been made in Nepal's air sector.

In the flight safety audit, the world's average flight safety rate is 67 and the Asia Pacific rate is 63 percent. For the first time in the history of air flights, Nepal has scored 70.1 percent, which is the result of Nepal's performance in air safety and regulation in Asia and the world, according to the authority.

This meeting is being watched with great interest as the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has started the process for direct flights to Sydney, Australia. The NAC has previously operated direct flights to London, UK.

Similarly, since the issue of ex-Gurkha soldiers is an issue between the two countries, they also discussed the issue of taking steps for a permanent solution as soon as possible.