Nepal launches four day aviation safety campaign

Nepal, which has witnessed a number of air crashes, today launched an awareness campaign seeking to enhance the level of air safety by imparting training to 160 airlines staff.
The four day aviation safety awareness campaign began in Gokarna Forest Resort in Kathmandu, with the government promising to remain committed to its goal of strengthening aviation security.
"We will always remain firm in our commitment towards strengthening international aviation security and safety standards to cherish our objectives of safe, secure and sustainable civil aviation," Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Ram Kumar Shrestha said while inaugurating the function.
"There has been significant initiations in the recent past for the sake of enhancing air safety. A massive effort is going on in the development of aviation infrastructure throughout the country," Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Triratna Mananandhar said.

Lukla airfield, listed as one of the dangerous airfields in the world, is being equipped with VAGS (Visual Approach Guidance System) and APAPI (abbreviated Precision Approach Path Indicator) this year, he said.
VAGS is a system of lights on the side of an airport runway threshold that provides visual descent guidance information during approach. Whereas, APAPI is a visual aid that provides guidance information to help a pilot acquire and maintain the correct approach to the airport.

160 airlines staff from 17 airlines are undergoing the training in the air safety workshop being organised jointly by CAAN, International Finance Corporation, World Food Programme and Yeti Airlines.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has prioritised infrastructure upgrades for improving air safety within Nepal, which includes installations of latest RADaR system, said Valentino Bagatsing, Resident Representative of IFC in Nepal.
In a period of three years starting from August 2010, 67 people have died in four major plane crash incidents in Nepal.
In last incident in September 2012, all 19 people on board a small passenger aircraft died after it crashed in to the mountains of the northern Himalayas.