Improve air safety: ICAO to govt

SANGAM PRASAIN

KATHMANDU, DEC 18 -

In view of increasing accidents in air transport in Nepal, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has urged the Government of Nepal to adopt a deliberate approach for air safety improvement.

ICAO’s Asia Pacific Region Regional Director Ahmad Mukhtar Awan on Friday met Prime Minister Madhav Nepal and urged him to take appropriate measures to ensure aviation safety, said Rajan Bhattarai, the PM’s foreign affairs advisor.

In the meeting, Awan said Nepal needs to focus on expanding infrastructure at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in view of the increasing air traffic. “We are ready to support the Government of Nepal in this regard,” Bhattarai quoted Awan as saying. The Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) articulates ICAO’s strategy to guide prioritization and implementation of its global safety initiatives. Between 2000 and 2009, the total number of fatal accidents on commercial scheduled flights dropped by 50 percent and the corresponding number of fatalities by 31 percent.

According to ICAO, the overall level of safety in international civil aviation is remarkable, with a global accident rate of approximately four accidents per million departures.

The ICAO says that with the anticipated increase in traffic volume throughout this decade , a steady accident rate will translate into a greater number of accidents. Currently, two out of seven ICAO regions have an accident rate that is twice the world average. In the context of Nepal, within four month the country’s aviation sector has witnessed three major fatalities and a number of minor mishaps. Three major air accidents in four months have claimed 38 lives.

“We talked about the immediate need to ensure well-coordinated relations between the industry and its regulator,” Awan told the media.

The ICAO forecast reveals worldwide air traffic to grow at the rate of 6.4 percent this year, 4.7 percent in 2011 and 4.9 percent in 2012. Traffic for Asia Pacific airlines should grow considerably faster than the global aviation pace at rates 10.8, 7.8 and 7.75 percent for the same period. In the context of Nepal, international passenger movement recorded an 11 percent and domestic passenger movement a 33 percent increase in 2009 as compared to 2008.