CAAN Souvenir 2010.FH10 - Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal

CAAN Souvenir 2010Owing to its being the only international airport of thecountry, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is thesole gateway for foreign international operators tofly to Nepal with their scheduled passenger andcharter flights. While signs of restoration of considerablepeace and stability in Nepal are showing up after more thana decade long internal conflict, there has beensubstantial increase in business activities in thediverse economic sectors. Tourism, as the mainstayof Nepalese economy, is indeed not an exception.As a major second contributor in foreign currencyearning by State after remittance, tourism industryin Nepal is also a significant employment generatorwith tremendous, perennial growth potentiality. Dueto its dynamism and available products within thecountry, the Government of Nepal has launchedvarious campaigns in periodic manner to promotetourism in Nepal. Nepal Tourism Year 2011 (NTY 2011) hasbeen launched in the similar vein.Constraints and CampaignNTY 2011 will definitely put heavy demand on quality airportoperations. It is ironic to notice that flights are delayed at theairport (on the ground as well as in the air) due to obligationsof controllers to stick to the prescribed international standardsand procedures while providing their services withoutcompromising safety. For a few years traffic delays have beena common phenomenon at other airports too, besides TIA,which are due to other contributing factors such as weather,runway layout, procedures, etc. Travelling public is alsoconcerned about safe and prompt journey to their destination.Sanjiv Gautam*TIA Capacity Constraintsand Nepal Tourism Year2011While domestic and international flights areincreasing significantly at TIA, the NTY 2011campaign, targeted to introduce at least 1 milliontourists to the country, will obviously result inexcessive delays at the airport, until a tangiblesolution is sought. To address the problem,responsible policy makers and executives hold theview that the only panacea to get rid of congestionat the airport can be the extension of operationalhours of TIA. Even the Minister and Secretary indifferent forums of seminar and meetings haveexpressed their commitment to making the TIA open for roundthe-clockoperation to make NTY 2011 a grand success.The traffic scenario at TIA comprises both domestic andinternational movements of which domestic traffic share around80 percent of the total. Domestic flights normally operatefrom sunrise to sunset; most of the delay occurring betweenthe early morning and midday are caused by domesticmovement and instrument procedures. However, delay rarelyoccurs during the rest of the prescribed operational hours.Therefore it is necessary to consider different variables andevaluate them before a rational decision is made. It has beenmy effort to find an appropriate answer to the big question:1912 th Anniversary Publication