The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has initiated the flight permit procedures for airlines seeking to join the aviation industry as new entrants.
Airlines with rotor wings (helicopters) such as Mustang, Royal Trilok, Annapurna, and RS Helicopter are now in the pipeline. Similarly, Shivam Airlines is awaiting approval to launch as a new airline.
The Department of Aviation Safety, which is part of CAAN, has said that the process of to some of these airlines is now underway.
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Mustang Helicopters
According to the source, the Mustang helicopter’s flight permission procedure has reached its conclusion.
The development of the Mustang helicopter, which has reached the level of demonstration flight, has been halted owing to the second wave of Covid-19.
Royal Trilok
Royal Trilok, which the Ministry recently approved of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, has also applied to the department for a flight permit. As soon as the company applied, the CAAN has already started a study on the applied documents.
Annapurna Helicopter
Annapurna Helicopter, which had previously secured a No Objection Letter (NOC) from CAAN, said that the procedure could not be completed owing to the second wave.
The source said they are waiting and watching since the helicopter company’s business is not doing well. “We have obtained NOC. Another step cannot begin without the arrival of the aircraft. Given the present circumstance, we are at a crossroads as to whether to take the process ahead or back,’ Annapurna Helicopter officials said. ‘How can we go ahead if this continues?’
The Ministry of Tourism granted the Annapurna helicopter a license roughly three years ago.
The source said that, even though the license was secured on the condition that the helicopter is operational within two years, the authorization was extended for one year by reapplying following the covid. Annapurna’s three-year license will expire in October, according to the extended timeframe.
“The NOC will also expire if the helicopter is not operated within four months,” he added. The flight will be operated by three Airbus helicopters, according to the company’s plans.
RS Helicopter
According to the source, the RS helicopter submitted for the fly permit procedure has not communicated with the authority for more than a year.
Guna Airlines
Similarly, Guna Airlines has begun the process of augmenting the number of fixed-wing aircraft in its fleet.
Gun Airlines intends to add five additional Jetstream (J-41) planes. As a result, the company has moved on with the procedure.
Source said, CAAN has announced that following a staged inspection and investigation of the company; it will allow the addition of five more aircraft. According to CAAN sources, Guna had requested an addition of aircraft before the lockdown.
Yeti Airlines
According to CAAN, the procedure of private-sector carrier Yeti Airlines, which has previously done demonstration flights for foreign charter flights, is also nearing completion.
Shivam Airlines
In addition, Shivam Airlines has announced that it intends to apply for a license from the government as soon as the present situation returns to normal. The airline, which intended to conduct regular flights to the stall route, said that the procedure could not be completed owing to the second wave of Covid.
‘We have applied to the government for authorization,’ says the company’s officials. In this situation, the procedure is halted because of Covid. We will restart full-fledged documentation process as soon as possible.”
