Chartered and rescue flights will be operated

KATHMANDU: TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 – The government has suspended domestic flights since last night to control the Covid-19 epidemic. International flights will be postponed from the night of May 6 this year. However, there will be flights between Nepal and India. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has stated that all domestic and international flights between the two countries have been suspended to maintain two flights a year. A cabinet meeting last Sunday decided to suspend both domestic and international flights until mid-May to prevent Corona. Chartered and rescue flights will be operated during this period, CAN said. CAN spokesperson Raj Kumar Chhetri said that chartered and rescue flights would be conducted both domestically and internationally with permission on the basis of need.

According to the air bubble system between India and Nepal, there will be a maximum of two flights a week. Passengers coming to Nepal from India will have to stay in quarantine for 10 days. The Council of Ministers has made a five-point decision on aviation. It has been decided to limit the two-way flights between Nepal and India under the existing air bubble facility to two days a year by staying in the hotels listed by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation in full compliance with the health standards.

A joint team of the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Board and Nepal Police will have to monitor the daily stay of the hotel quarantine and submit daily report to the Covid-19 Crisis Management Center. The Council of Ministers has decided to send a letter to the designated authority for action under the Infectious Diseases Act, 2020 if it is found that the passengers staying in the hotel quarantine have not complied with the health standards and are not staying in the quarantine.

Similarly, if a boarding pass is given to a passenger with PCR positive in any flight, the quarantine expenses of all the passengers of the flight will be borne by the concerned airlines. The Ministry of Tourism will issue flight permits for domestic and international chartered and rescue flights in full compliance with health safety standards. PCR report with barcode and photo of passengers coming and going from chartered and rescue international flight is mandatory. To control the risk of Covid-19 epidemic, the government has imposed a ban on various districts of the country, including the Kathmandu Valley, since April 30. – RSS