July 24: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has started internal preparations to resume air service after the government decided to lift the ban on domestic and international flights from August 17.

CAAN has formed a committee under the coordination of Tribhuvan International Airport’s spokesperson Dev Chandra Lal Karna to give suggestions regarding how to operate air service during the coronavirus pandemic.

The committee is mandated to submit a report within a week after conducting a study on the possibility of resuming air service and by including the necessary processes required to restart domestic and international flights.

The committee is expected to suggest necessary measures required to resume regular commercial flights that have been halted due to the lockdown imposed by the government to contain the spread of coronavirus since March 24.

The flight schedule will be prepared base on the report submitted by the committee, informed Raj Kumar Chhetri, spokesperson at CAAN.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation is preparing a protocol to curb the transmission of the virus during flights.

Although the government has lifted the lockdown, the risk of coronavirus infection still remains high. Therefore, the domestic as well as international flights are not possible at the moment, said Chhetri.

“CAAN, TIA and the air service providers have all prepared their own guidelines for safety measures during flight service. Although air service will resume from August 17, there will be limited number of flights and passengers,” said Chhetri.

“The number of flights can be increased or decreased depending on the situation,” he added.

According to Spokesperson Chhetri, Tribhuvan International Airport observes around 500 movements (take off and landing) per day during peak season, including domestic and international flights. Meanwhile, the airport witnesses 370 movements during normal days.