The new airline companies at the present time will not be receiving Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) due to escalating air traffic and parking bay congestion at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). Until and unless the second international airport project completes and comes into operation, the AOC approval is beyond imagination states the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
The new airline companies trying to enter into domestic market can achieve AOC if they opt to keep their base out of Kathmandu.
At present, there are total of 30 national and international airlines operating international flights from TIA. Having only 9 parking bays at the international platform, it is pretty difficult to accommodate all the aircraft. Besides, only one runway facility of TIA has to facilitate both domestic and international flights that is directly enhancing traffic congestion day by day. Airlines have to hold for minimum of 15 minutes to 1 hour in the sky these days.
The authority at the present scenario can’t dispatch AOC because if provided, the airport safety protocols generated by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will be violated. The new companies will only receive AOC after the operation of Second International Airport at Bhairahawa which could take a minimum of 2 years.
