KATHMANDU: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Prem Ale has expressed concern over a pilot landing a plane destined for Chaurjahari in Rukum at Nepalgunj airport saying that his ‘duty hour’ was over. The plane took off from Kathmandu and landed midway without making it to the destination.
According to Minister Ale’s secretariat, the Minister has called on the head of the Nepal Airlines Corporation to understand the facts about the incident and discuss the process of further action. The discussion was scheduled for 3 pm Tuesday.
A twin-otter of the corporation that flew from Kathmandu to Chaurjahari of Rukum had made a ‘night stop’ in Nepalgunj on Monday evening. It is said that the plane stopped at Nepalgunj after the pilot’s ‘duty hour’ was over.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have set a definite time limit for pilots to fly up to 10 hours or 10 landings a day. If the pilot flies for more than that period, both the airlines and the pilot will be prosecuted by the regulatory body.
Corporation officials have claimed that the plane stopped at Nepalgunj after the pilot crossed the border. But passengers are outraged that they are stranded.
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