The discussion between government of Nepal and India about the new airspace and other aviation related topics has been turning out positive as India has shown some positive response for the extension of air routes.
They are now going through the process to add two routes to the existing Simara route for international air travel between India and Nepal which could be Janakpur or Biratnagar in east and Mahendranagar, Bhairahawa, or Nepalgunj in west, informed the Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Director General Sanjiv Gautam said that Nepal has proposed addition of new routes from both east and west side and Indian Authorities have responded positively about it. A team led by the deputy director of CAAN is set to leave for Calcutta in near future to discuss with authorities of India.
Information officer of CAAN Mr. Trilochan Paudel said that all preparation has been made for the team to visit India. Nepal government had been requesting India to add air routes and entry points multiple times over the years. He said that if the first meeting is held, it would at least make the next meetings and negotiation process easier.
Nepal has urged to provide three new entry air routes through Janakpur, Bhairahawa, Nepalgunj and Mahendranagar with the view to connect three new additional international airports i.e. Nijgadh, Bhairawa and Pokhara. However, Nepal has only one air route for its international flights.
As international airlines connecting Kathmandu use the Simara route, aircraft have to make their descent and climb in the Indian airspace following the STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) and SID (Standard Instrument Departure Route), respectively.
