KATHMANDU: The Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has vehemently stated that it is impossible to implement the decision of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) to have two pilots in a single-engine helicopter.
While CAAN is preparing to make two pilots mandatory in a single-engine helicopter, the Association has suggested that the move would not be appropriate for commercial flights.
The CAAN is studying the possibility of having two pilots in a helicopter by forming a five-member technical team.
Captain Rameshwor Thapa, president of the AOAN, said that the company would collapse as it would cost a lot of money to hire two pilots in a single-engine helicopter.
He said that there is no problem in having two pilots in a helicopter with a capacity of more than nine seats but if there are two pilots in all helicopters, there will be a shortage of manpower.
Of the total helicopters owned by 11 companies currently operating in Nepal, 31 are single -engine and only five are double-engine. Ten foreign and 26 Nepali pilots have been flying helicopters with one engine.
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