By Le Figaro with AFP
Published on 03/26/2023 at 19:57
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An airplane at Kathmandu airport. PRAKASH MATH
Nepal has suspended three air traffic controllers and launched an investigation into the near-collision of two planes waiting to land at Kathmandu International Airport, an official source said on Sunday. The incident occurred on Friday when an Air India plane, held at an altitude of 19,000 feet (5,800 meters) due to heavy traffic at the airport, suddenly descended and narrowly missed colliding with a Nepal Airlines plane that was in a altitude of 15,000 feet (4,572 meters), Nepal Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Jagannath Niroula told AFP.
He announced that “three air traffic controllers on duty at the time were removed from the checkpoint until further notice,” adding that a commission of inquiry had been set up. The spokesman also said a letter had been sent to Indian civil aviation authorities to “investigate possible wrongdoing by the Air India pilot”.
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Despite international recommendations, poor equipment maintenance and lax enforcement of safety regulations weigh on the Nepalese aviation sector. The European Union has banned all Nepalese airlines from its airspace for safety reasons. The latest air disaster dates back to January when a Nepalese Yeti Airlines plane crashed on approach to Pokhara Airport (central Nepal), killing all 72 people on board.