A Quarterly Publication

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY OF NEPAL

January-2011

President inaugurates NTY 2011

Civil Aviation
Authority of Nepal
established for the provision of
air navigation services and for
the development of airport
and airport infrastructure
in the country.
Safety and security are our prime
objectives. We facilitate air
transportation services
within and outside
the country.
We are committed:
- to serve the people ,
- to facilitate tourism
Nepal Tourism Year 2011 was formally
launched on Friday, 14 January 2011
amid a gala ceremony in Kathmandu.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav officially
inaugurated the programme declaring
the beginning of NTY 2011 for peace,
prosperity and stability.
Together for tourism
Tourism for prosperity
Prosperity for stability
On the occasion, Prime Minister Madhav
Kumar Nepal said that we need a strong
economy which can be achieved through
tourism. He further said this campaign
will re-establish the image of Nepal as
the safest destination and give message
to the world that Nepal is no longer a
conflict ridden country.
Addressing the programme, Minister for

Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat Singha

Bhandari said that tourism is a means of
bringing economic revolution in Nepal.
He added, Tourism is an effective vehicle
for achieving prosperity, peace and
stability in Nepal.
Various institutions organized a colourful
show at the programme. A paragliding
motor show with NTY flag and balloons
was also held representing the aviation
sector.
The inaugural ceremony was attended
by national and international high
dignitaries as well as the General
Secretary of World Tourism Organization.
On the occasion, four tourism productsThe Great Himalayan Trail (GHT), Mighty
East, Wild West Triangle, and Terai
Tourism-were of ficially unveiled.

We are Together for

Tourism
We believe:
Civil Aviation is for Tourism
Tourism is for Civil Aviation
We appeal to all our
stakeholders Please join
hands with Civil Aviation
And
Be with us
In all our efforts to fulfill our
vision and mission.

Nepal observes ICAO Day

On the auspicious occasion of the
establishment of International Civil
Aviation Organization (ICAO), Nepal
observed International Civil Aviation Day
on 7th December 2010. The slogan of
the day for this year was Safe, Secure
and Sustainable Aviation for our Planet.
The Day was jointly organized by the
Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation
(MOTCA), Civil Aviation Authority of
Nepal (CAAN) and Airline Operators
Association of Nepal (AOAN). On the
occasion, Mr. Kishore Thapa, Secretary
of Tourism and Civil Aviation led the
walkathon programme from CAAN Head
Office, Babarmahal to Tribhuvan
International Airport (TIA). Officials from
MOTCA, CAAN, Airlines and various
personalities from tourism, travel and
trade participated in the walkathon which
was about an hour long. Secretary Mr.
Thapa hoisted the ICAO flag along with
national flag at the premises of TIA at the
end of the walkathon. This years
additional attraction of the programme
was fllower showering (Pushpa-vristi) from
two helicopters while flags hoisting.

workshop program by lighting the

auspicious light. On the occasion, Director
General of CAAN Mr. Ram Prasad
Neupane made highlights on the activities
being carried out by CAAN. Former
Regional Director of ICAO-Asia/Pacific
Region Mr. Lalit Bikram Shah, President
of Airline Operators Association of Nepal
Mr. Rameshwor Thapa and Joint
Secretary of MOTCA Mr. Ranjan Krishna
Aryal also addressed the programme.
During the workshop session, Mr. Tri
Ratna Manandhar, Deputy Director
General of CAAN presented a paper on
Nepals Effort for Safe, Secure and
Sustainable Aviation. Others who
presented papers were Mr. Haribhakta
Shrestha, former Director General of Civil
Aviation, Capt. Sudhir Shrestha and Er.
Deepak Prasad Bastola of Nepali Sainik
Biman Sewa. An essay competition
among the students of higher secondary

In the evening, a workshop was

organized in Hotel Himalaya, Kupondole.
Mr. Kishore Thapa, Secretary of Tourism
and Civil Aviation inaugurated the

GoN shares
converted into loan
Government of Nepal, by the decision
of Cabinet on 8 December 2009, has
converted the cumulative
redeemable10.5% preference share of
Rs 1,33,00,00,000 into loan which was
transferred to CAAN during its inception.
The decision which was warmly
welcomed by CAAN employees is
expected to give financial relief to CAAN
since Rs 80,00,00,000 has already
been paid . According to Deputy Director,
Finance, Mr Shaligram Poudel the
remaining amount of Rs 53,00,00,000
can be settled immediately after the
Government of Nepal pays the dues of
Cargo Building rent to CAAN which it
owes to the latter.

schools on the theme topic was also

organized on the occasion of
International Civil Aviation Day.
ICAO was established on 7 December
1944. It is a specialized agency of the
United Nations responsible to promote
international parameters and regulations
essential for the security, efficiency and
regularity of air transport and serve as a
medium for coordination in the sector of
civil aviation. Since its inception, ICAO
has been playing a crucial role for the
overall development of Civil Aviation
globally. After a span of 66 years, it
remains the universal platform where
countries have and will continue to gather
in cooperation with the sectors and other
stakeholders, to address any and all
issues witnessing the global air transport
sector.
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary
in 1994, ICAO declared International
Civil Aviation Day through an Assembly
Resolution. In 1996, the United Nations
General Assembly officially recognized
7th December as International Civil
Aviation Day. There are altogether 190
member states of ICAO. Nepal became
the member of ICAO in 1960 AD.

Manang Airport Project in progress

Manang Airport, located at Humde,
Manang VDC of Manang district, came
in operation for the first time in 28th
February 1978. The district is still not
connected with road network and hence
the airport serves as a major means of
transportation.
Manang airport is situated at an elevation
of 11000 feet due to which aircraft are
being operated with load penalty. This
is the main reason behind the reluctance
of private airlines to provide air service
from Humde airfield. CAAN commenced
the runway extension work at this airport
in FY 2065/66 through tender process
and 90% of the work has been completed
so far. After the extension work, total

runway length at this airport will be 850

meters. This extension work is estimated
to be completed by the end of 2067.
Furthermore, under the Manang Airport
Project, CAAN selected the lowest
bidding contractor to carry out the civil
works such as strengthening of runway,
taxiway, apron and other associated
works at Manang airport. The total project
cost is Rs. 78 million (exclusive of
contingencies and VAT). The work is
scheduled to be completed by the end
of 2068.
Manang Airport in the lap of Himalaya
with 850 meters long black-topped
runway, will definitely be the pride of the
nation.

CAAN celebrates 12th anniversary

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal organized
a programme to mark its 12th anniversary
on 16th December 2011. The programme
was inaugurated by Minister for Tourism
and Civil Aviation Mr. Sharat Singha
Bhandari. Addressing the programme,
Mr. Bhandari asserted that Civil Aviation
has the most vital role in making Nepal
Tourism Year 2011 a success. He
expressed his happiness regarding the
significant achievement made by CAAN
this year. He further added that the ministry
is ever committed for the development of
civil aviation in Nepal.
On the occasion, Mr. Kishore Thapa,
Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Civil
Aviation, emphasized on the importance
of technical advancement in the aviation
sector and firmly expressed his belief that

SIA Inspection
On November 3, 2010, Prime Minister
Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal had an aerial
inspection of fast track and SIA site.
Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviaion
Mr. Sharat Singh Bhandari and
Secretary, MOTCA, Mr. Kishore Thapa
were also present in the occasion. Before
departure to the SIA site, Secretary Mr.
Kishore Thapa briefed about the present
status of SIA to the Prime Minister. After
the completion of the aerial inspection,
there was a briefing program in the
Budhune Army Barrack in Makawanpur
district around 30 km east of Hetauda.
Nepal Army briefed the Prime Minister
about the progress and problems in the
Fast Track Project. In the program, DDG
T.R. Manandhar made a brief power
point presentation on the need of SIA
and its prospects.

Rt. Hon. Prime Minister and Hon. Minister for

Tourism and Civil Aviation among others at Budhune
Barrack after aerial inspection of Fast Track

CAAN would excel in the field of

advanced technology.
Addressing the programme, Mr. Ram
Prasad Neupane, Director General,
CAAN, presented the overall annual
progress of CAAN informing the significant
progress on runway overlay, expansion
of sterile hall, renovation of golden gate
and construction of new helipad, etc. He
added that CAAN would always strive
for safe and secure aviation in Nepal.
Captain Rameshwar Thapa, President of
Airlines Association of Nepal (AOAN),
addressing the programme, appreciated
the efforts made by CAAN for the
development of civil aviation by assuring
safety to a large extent. He emphasized
on the need to put best efforts by CAAN

as well as all the operators so as to make

Nepal Tourism Year 2011 a memorable
and successful event.
On the occasion, Civil Aviation Report
2009 and 2010 together with the 12th
issue of CAAN annual publication "CAAN
Souvenir" was made public by Minister
for Tourism and Civil Aviation Mr. Sharat
Singha Bhandari. He also unveiled
formally Nagarik Uddayan Pradhikaran:
Mero Aankhama, a book written by
Senior Account Officer Mr. Sunil Mool.
Special recognition awards were given to
fifteen of the employees of CAAN for their
outstanding performance. Medals were
given away to the winners of various events
organized on the occasion of the 12th
anniversary of CAAN and certificates
were distributed to the blood donors.

ADB funds for development at TIA

ADB has agreed to fund for the capacity
enhancement of TIA according to the
latters master plan. Under this assistance,
CAAN is hopeful of being able to meet
the air traffic growth trend. Some of the
planned initiations to be supported by
ADB include runway extension by 300
meters to the south, installation of runway
centerline lights, installation of new CAT
I approach lights, construction of a
temporary Domestic Terminal building,
refurbishing the existing international
terminal building, construction of new
parallel taxiway, construction of new
international apron, new CNS equipment,
installation of localizer DME runway 02,
etc. Besides, the project is also carrying
out institutional capacity strengthening
and management aspects of CAAN.
All of these plans are thought to bring
about a change in the operational systems
and methods at TIA. The extension of the
runway, the installation of Runway
centerline lights and the installation of
new CAT I approach lights will definitely
serve to upgrade the level of service
being provided to the flights operating
at TIA. The considerable increase in
domestic as well as international
operators and flights have been indicating

an acute need for new domestic and

international terminal buildings as the
existing ones have become congested
with regards to the growing passenger
flow. Construction of new international
apron is also thought to fulfill the demand
of growing international traffic. New CNS
equipment, localizer DME are the
demand of the time and the installation
of these will surely lead CAAN to the
moder n pat h of t ec hnological
development.

New helipad at TIA

The newly constructed helipad towards
eastern part of the runway at TIA was
inaugurated by Minister of Tourism and
Civil Aviation Mr. Sharat Singha Bhandari
on 31st December 2010. Passenger
service and refueling facilities at the
helipad are planned to be provided from
February2011. The helipad is believed
to ease the space constraint at the
domestic parking bay.

Regional Director of ICAO visits Nepal

Regional Director, ICAO Asia and Pacific
Office Mr. Mokhtar A Awan made a
four day official visit to Nepal starting
from 14 December 2010. During his visit
Mr Awan paid a courtesy call with Prime
Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Minister
for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat
Singha Bhandari, Mr Kishore Thapa,
Secretary at Ministry of Tourism and Civil
Aviation, Mr Ram Prasad Neupane,
Director General, CAAN and other senior
Officials from Government and CAAN.
Mr Awan in his meeting with Prime
Minister Nepal highlighted the
importance of global aviation safety and
security programme and observed the
need for expanding infrastructure at TIA
in view of growing air traffic. During his
meeting with Minister Bhandari, discussion

was focused on maintaining the safety

and standards and implementation of
safety management system. He assured
that ICAO will continue to extend possible
support to the further development of Civil
Aviation in Nepal.
Similarly Mr Awan, during his meeting
with other senior officials of Government
and CAAN, discussed about the issues
regarding safety, security and ICAOs

cooperation in Nepalese aviation. He

expressed ICAOs concern about the
implementation status of Performance
Based Navigation (PBN). Mr Neupane,
Director General CAAN, in his meeting
with Mr Awan briefed about the overall
activities, updated progress on the
implementation status of Corrective Action
Plans(CAP) and future plans of CAAN
particularly regarding the revision of the
organization structure of CAAN, and
talked about the infrastructure
development challenges in respect of the
development of international and regional
airports in Nepal. He also emphasized
the significance of the continued
cooperation and support from ICAO for
sustainable development of civil aviation
in Nepal.

Nepal participates in 47th DGCA-APAC Conference

Nepal has been actively participating in
the Directors General of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) Asia Pacific Conference held
annually. The 47th Conference of the
DGCA was held in Macao, SAR, China
from 25 to 29 October 2010.A twomember Nepalese delegation
participated in the Conference. The
following Discussion Papers (DPs) were

presented from Nepal.

1. DP/3/22 - Performance Based
Navigation (PBN) implementation in
Nepal.
2. DP/4/6 - Development Status of
Language Proficiency Requirements
and Challenges in Nepal.
3. DP/4/25 - Aviation Safety Activities

in Nepal.
4. DP/5/7 - Aviation Security Activities
in Nepal.
Mr. Ram Prasad Neupane, Director
General, CAAN, leader of the Nepalese
delegation was appointed as the
moderator to Agenda Item 1: Review of
Action Items arising from the 46th DGCA
Conference.

Traffic continues to grow at TIA

Tribhuvan International Airport has been
witnessing a considerable growth of traffic
and passenger movements in the recent
years. The growth rate has been higher
this year with an impressive increase in
the number of international aircraft
movement. This number was 11329 till
September in 2009 which rose to 13979
till September in 2010. The increase in
number of international aircraft movement
was thus 23% in 2010(till September)
than in 2009(till September). The
international passenger movement also
shows a tremendous growth this year with
the movement counting to 1715949 till
September in 2010 which is 21% more
than 1418949 international passenger

movements as counted till September in

2009.
Going through the number of international
passengers within one year (from 2008
to 2009), it was 1830630 in the year
2008 whereas it was 2027147 in 2009.
Its growth, thus observed, within one year
was 11%. The flight movement increased
from 2008 to 2009 following the similar
trend. It was 14276 in 2008 and 15701
in 2009. The air traffic controllers thus
handled 10% more traffic in 2009
compared to that in 2008.
Comparing the data to find out the
growth in ten years, the number of
international passengers in the year 1999
was 1100331 whereas that in2009 was

1715949, the growth thus being 56%.

The international flight movement also
has almost the same trend of growth from
1999 to 2009. In 1999, the number of
international movement was 8426 but it
was 13979 in 2009. The growth in the
number of international movements in the
span of ten years thus was 66%.
This is just a glimpse of the growth trend
at TIA. The domestic sector has
experienced the same situation over years
with increase in the number of passenger
as well as flight movement. Given the
trend, the civil aviation sub-sector will
have made a significant contribution
to the Nepal Tourism Year 2011 which
aims to bring in one million tourists
during that year.

Air crash Reports made public

The commission formed to investigate the
Agni Airs Dornier aircraft which crashed
at Shikharpur(Makawanpur) in August
2010 has made its report public. The
aircraft was on its way to Tenzing-Hilary
(Lukla) airport from Kathmandu before it
met its fateful end. The report says that
the main cause of the accident was spatial
disorientation of the flight crew in IMC,
after loss of attitude indication triggered
by entire loss of battery power which led
the aircraft to go into an uncontrolled
dive to the ground.

Similarly, the report made public on 8th

January on the investigation of Fishtail
Airs helicopter Ecureuil which crashed
on 7th of November last year mentions
that the pilot, because of the lack of
ground reference, was unable to notice
the strong wind which forced the
helicopter to drift laterally to the left and
ultimately made it hit the ground. The
helicopter was on a rescue mission on
the north ridge of Mt. Amadablam at an
altitude of 6350 meters.
The accident investigation report of Tara

New breed of ATS personnel inducted

Director General Mr Ram Prasad
Neupane gave away the certificates to
the successful participants of CAAN ATS
005 Batch in a programme organized
at Civil Aviation Academy (CAA) on 4th
January 2011. On the occasion Mr
Neupane said as the job of controllers
is very safety critical , it is very important
that the controllers produced possess
thorough knowledge of the subjects
related to aviation imparting which has
successfully been carried out by CAA.
He expressed a firm belief that the
controllers thus produced would be able
to perform their duties with an outstanding

professionalism.
On the occasion Mr Min Raj Upadhyaya
wished that the new batch of air traffic
controllers would utilize the knowledge
gained in the training by providing
excellent air traffic control service.
Ms Mery Patrabansa who heads ATS
Faculty, an important unit of CAA,
highlighted on the importance of ATS
training as there is an acute shortage of
controllers.

Airs Twin otter aircraft which crashed on

15 December is still awaited. The
Twinotter had lost contact with the Air
Traffic Controllers five minutes after she
departed from Rumjatar airport.
Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has
formed a high level commission, led by
the former Director General of CAAN
Mr. Medini Prasad Sharma for the study
of the implementation status of the safety
recommendations made by the several
commissions in the past after aircraft
accidents.

Secretary visits
airports
Mr Kishore Thapa, Secretary, Ministry
of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOTCA)
paid inspection visits to different domestic
airports in November, 2010. Mr Thapa
was accompanied by other senior officials
from MOTCA and CAAN including
Director General Mr Ram Prasad
Neupane.

This training has produced 17 air traffic

controllers.

Buddha air links Kathmandu to Lucknow

Buddha Air flew its maiden schedule flight
to Lucknow from Kathmandu on 7th
Januar y this year as its second
international destination after Paro.
Buddha Air will fly to northern Indian city
three times a week on Sundays,
Wednesdays and Fridays.
Birendra Bahadur Basnet, Managing
Director of Buddha Air expressed his
gladness saying the commencement of
flight to Lucknow will open new advent
of tourism development.

Inaugurating the maiden flight, Minister

for Tourism and Civil Aviation Sharat
Singha Bhandari said the beginning of
flight to Lucknow had added new
dimension to Nepalese aviation history.
He added that Nepalese air carriers will
expand market share on international
routes predominated by international
airlines.
Buddha Air had earlier planned to fly
to Lucknow from Pokhara which could
not be materialized owing to route
problem.

The inspection was carried out as a part

of the programme organized to make
Nepal Tourism Year 2011 a grand
success. During the visit, he directed the
Airport Chiefs to operate airports under
standard operating procedures (SOP) so
that highest level of safety, security and
terminal facilities can be maintained.

TIA organizes emergency exercise

Emergencies do not occur with prior
notification. Therefore, it is necessary to
remain ever prepared to face an
emergency situation. Keeping this in view,
ICAO has made it a provision to organize
an emergency drill as a precautionary
safety measure to face emergencies of
any sort. The objective of organizing such
exercise is to save life and property or to
minimize rate of loss and damage due
to occurrence of an emergency and to
check the efficiency of people who should
involve in actual Emergency, organization
plan, programme, standard operation
procedures, equipment performance,
communication and co-ordination
between agencies involved to keep all
the mechanism up to date. As per ICAO
provision Full Scale Emergency Exercise
shall be conducted every two years.
CAAN organized an emergency exercise
on 4th July 2010.The exercise was done
on the basis of available jet aircraft at
TIA as Alert-4, unlawful interference & as
Alert-1, aircraft catching fire on ground.
The simulation was done on a fire pit near
fire station filled with diesel, petrol &
kerosene with Mobil.

The exercise was conducted by creating

a scenario resembling an actual
emergency situation. All the concerned
units took part in the exercise doing as
they would in a real emergency. The units,
agencies and people taking part in the
exercise were Director General of Civil
Aviation Authority of Nepal, General
Manager, Tribhuvan International Airport
Civil Aviation Office. Nepal Army, Nepal

Firefighting demo held

Nepal Rescue and Fire Fighters
Association conducted a fire fighting
demonstration programme in the premises
of CAAN, Headquarter on 31st August
2010.
On the occasion Manager, Fire Fighting
and Rescue, Mr Chiranjivi Bhandari
described and demonstrated the various
types of firefighting equipment and
methods that are to be used in fighting
the different kinds of fire.
Mr Pusker Kumar Silwal, President of
Nepal Rescue and Fire Fighters
Association highlighted the importance
of fire fighting for the healthy growth of
civil aviation and safe operation of flights.
He said further that in order to minimize

the damage caused by fire, Firefighters

must be efficient and work whole
heartedly.
Speaking on the occasion, Director
General Mr. Ram Prasad Neupane
remarked that the Association has done
a c o m m e n d a b l e i n i t i a t i o n by
disseminating the firefighting and rescue
techniques and spreading fire awareness
among CAAN Staff. He further added
that the knowledge gained from the
programme can prove to be helpful not
only in the public service but also in our
daily life.
Deputy Director, Firefighting and Rescue
Division Mr Krishna Bahadur Thapa
was the coordinator of the programme.

Police, Nepal Armed Police, and Airport

Security Police. In addition, hospitals and
Rescue Agencies like Kathmandu Medical
College, Red Cross, Central Office,
Judda Barun, etc also took part in the
exercise.
A post exercise debriefing was organized
to critically analyze it and find out the
strengths and weaknesses of the whole
process.

New tower console

and PAPI installed at
domestic Airports.
Installation and Testing of Two Men
Positioned Tower Console and PAPI
(Precision Approach Path Indicator) have
been completed at Chandragadhi,
Janakpur and Surkhet Airport (Console
installation in progress at Surkhet).
Technical Personnel have been trained
on the systems. The facilities have been
kept under test operation.

Kathmandu and Biratnagar Airports get new navigational equipment

Tribhuvan International Airport that is
being served by a sole radio navigational
aid the VOR/DME has recently received
a new DVOR/DME system from Selex
Sistemi Integrate Inc. USA that replaces
its older AWA-Australia equipment that
was in for replacement. Similarly,
Biratnagar, too, has received identical
Selex equipment replacing its long
unser viceable VOR navigational
equipment and is set to resume IFR flights
from the first week of February. The
Equipment and associated installation
services was procured under the Contract
"Supply, Delivery, Installation and
Commissioning of DVOR/DME and
Accessories" for a sum of USD 1.07
million plus NPR 29,55,0412 signed in
2009. The flight inspection checks
following the equipment installation were
carried out in the third week of December
last by AeroThai Flight Inspection Unit,
Thailand and have been declared
satisfactory.
The present VOR/DME at TIA operating
at 112.3 MHz/70X frequencies
presented a challenge for replacing the

station with identical frequency as it

implied significant flight disruptions during
installation and testing works for the new
equipment and therefore as a workaround
another available frequency of 113.2
MHz/79X had to be used for the newer
Selex equipment. However, for
Biratnagar, the earlier VOR had remained
unserviceable for close to two years and
therefore the original frequency 114.1
MHz could still be reused. The 1150A
model DVOR and 1119A model DME
are the latest generation of DVOR/DME
equipment from Selex, a leading radio
navigational aid equipment manufacturer,
which apart from the providing basic
navigational functionality as specified by
ICAO Annex 10 Vol. I, also offer
advanced remote maintenance
management and diagnostic features for
enhanced economy and efficiency in its
operations.
The installation site for the newer
Biratnagar DVOR/DME equipment has
been relocated 670m, along the
extended runway centerline on 09 end
of the runway after necessary land

acquisition. This relocation will now allow

the pilots to utilize the azimuth guidance
from the VOR (R092 for Runway 27 and
R272 for Runway 09) to align correctly
with the runway and minimize go-arounds
that are typical of the older offset
VOR/DME installation in impaired
visibility conditions. The necessary
instrument flight procedure for both
Biratnagar and TIA, which too had been
validated by AeroThai, are presently
being processed for incorporation into
the Aeronautical Information Publications,
Nepal and will be effective on 10th
February and 10th March respectively
after which the airlines can start using
the navigation equipment formally. The
Selex equipment has an economic design
life of about 15 years for which the
manufacturer's support has been
guaranteed in the Contract document.
The Contract also incorporates a clause
capping 25 percent as the maximum
possible price escalation on future
purchase of spares in the next 13 years
on the rates specified in the Contract.

New X-Ray baggage inspection machine commissioned at

Pokhara Airport
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has
recently new X-ray baggage inspection
commissioned in Pokhara airport was
formally inaugurated by the Director
General of CAAN, Mr. Ram Prasad
Neupane on 5th January 2011. Newly
commissioned X-Ray machine is equipped
with state of the art technology for the
security screening of the hold baggage

of the departing passengers. Pokhara is

one of the busiest airports serving
maximum number of flights and
passengers. Considering the sensitivity
of the equipment and the effectiveness
of the security of the security screening
of baggage through the equipment, Civil
Aviation Academy conducted a two week
long Pre Board Passenger Screening

Training Programme for the Police security

personnel responsible for the operation
of the equipment to ensure their
professionalism. On the occasion, the
Director General also distributed
certificates to the successful participants
of the training. He emphasized the need
for continuity of the trained personnel in
handling the X -Ray equipment.

Women air traffic controllers at TIA

I love my profession, says Ms Geeta
Shrestha, Chief of Training and Rating
Division and the senior most lady
controller at TIA, though it is challenging,
it is a fascinating job. Ms Nabina
Karmacharya and Ms Mainya Shrestha
feel the same about their job. Being in
the department of Training and Rating,
the three ladies feel a great sense of
responsibility towards the techniques used
and the skills gained by all ATCs at TIA.
They opine in unison that the existing staff
should be so trained that the next work
force generation will be attracted by the
work environment.
There are thirteen lady controllers at TIA
in ATS/SAR and Training and Rating
Division where as the total number of
controllers exceeds three scores.
The women controllers at TIA share variety
of experiences and views but are
unanimous in denying the existing concept
that in order to interact with technology,
a woman should deviate from being an
average female. In a social structure
and values as ours, women cannot shy
away from their household responsibilities
citing themselves being in a stressful job,

says Ms Griha Lakshmi Guragain who

has been working in this field for past 22
years, nevertheless, we have proved
ourselves in both of our roles. Ms Ila
Upadhyaya puts forth her view ,We are
not intimidated working odd hour shifts
and we can work even in night shifts
provided the facilities for night shifts are
comfortable.
Every person encounters some stress or
the other in his day to day life. But if this
stress is work related, the problem is even
graver. Air traffic controlling, by nature,
is a stressful profession. With only about
17% of women in active air traffic
controlling, this field is predominantly
male. Women in this field are thus
travelling in a difficult and less travelled
road. But the women at TIA are
undeterred. We all possess boundless
energy and ambition to meet challenges,
says Ms Kalpana Deuja. Ms. Mathura
Shakya keeps similar views in this matter.
This profession depicts a harmonious
coexistence between feminity and
technological proficiency, Ms Dipta
Poudyal opines. Ms Sita Adhikari agrees
with Ms Poudyal about the womentechnology harmony.

Gone are the days of liberal feminism

which had put forward the concept of
common stereotype women. Today
women are not bothered being in the
minority or working in a male dominated
field. The views of women controllers at
TIA corroborate this fact. We never
consider that other factors are important,
we want to be good controllers regardless
of gender, says Ms Rita Shrestha. I
experience a sense of fulfillment after
controlling hundreds of aircraft and their
occupants. The men and women in this
profession are the true unsung heroes,
says Ms. Urjala Manandhar.
Time has changed and so has the opinion
of the present day women who are not
the feminine stereotype anymore. They
have stood out in all sor ts of
responsibilities striking a balance between
their domestic role and their job. They
are confident to face every challenge
that comes their way. We are at the
start of a new aviation century with a
new generation entering our workforce.
We are ready to face its opportunities
with confidence, concludes Ms Sabita
KC.

CAAN PUBLICATION

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal

Ticket

Head Office, Babar Mahal

Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 4262387, 4262326, 4262518
Fax: 977-1-4262561
AFTN: VNKTYAYX
E-mail: cnsatm@caanepal.org.np
cnsatm@mos.com.np

Website: www.caanepal.org.np

Publication Commitee: Co-ordinator

Consulting Editor
Editor
Technical Support

- Tri Ratna Manandhar

- Deepak Baral
- Ritcha Sharma
- Chandra Kanta Pandit & Sunil Mool

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