The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) temporarily barred a Thai AirAsia flight from landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for an hour on Sunday after it arrived without a valid flight permit. The aircraft was eventually allowed to land, taking into account the safety and well-being of the passengers on board.
Jagannath Niraula, the general manager of TIA, explained that the flight permit had expired on Saturday. He noted that representatives from the airline in Nepal assured the operator they would secure the necessary permit upon arrival.
“The plane flew to Nepal based on assurances from AirAsia’s Nepalese representative that they would arrange the flight permit,” Niraula stated. “We permitted the landing only after considering the passengers’ sensitivity.”
Airline operators are required to obtain flight permits for both summer and winter seasons in Nepal. The Thai AirAsia flight had a valid permit only for the summer season, which ended on October 26, while the winter schedule runs from October 27 to March 31 of the following year.
According to CAAN’s Information Officer, Gyanendra Bhul, all flights operated by the airline have been suspended for the time being, and the license of its Nepali General Sales Agent (GSA) has been revoked.
“Today’s flight was only authorized as a ‘special chartered’ operation,” Bhul said. He emphasized that holding the plane in the air for an extended period raised security concerns in addition to the sensitivity of the passengers. “We allowed today’s flight to land considering the passengers’ safety.”
