The European Union, on 7th December, 2020 (coinciding with International Civil Aviation Day) applauded the “Government of Nepal for its firm commitment to improve safety mechanisms” indicating the likeliness of Nepal Airlines being delisted from the EU Air Safety List.
EU had banned Nepal Airlines from flying into its air space in 2013 after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) flagged safety concerns. ICAO, however, removed the country from the significant safety concern list in 2017.
The European Commission via a Press Release said they are “aware of the efforts that have been undertaken by the country, notably as regards the proposed new aviation legislation currently before Nepal Parliament. It would be key for this legislation to be adopted by the Parliament and subsequently implemented”.
They further added that the adoption of the legistlation “would allow the Commission to advance with the process of eventually removing Nepal from the EU Air Safety List.”
Similarly, a team including Director General of the EU is scheduled to visit Nepal to take stock of the situation of air safety, and the EU Aviation Safety Agency would complete the process to remove Nepal from EU’s blacklist based on the proposal prepared by the EU.
The standard process, according to the Commission specifically includes
i).organising a technical meeting (in Brussels) with CAAN to review the progress made;
ii).organising a subsequent on-site visit to Nepal by DG MOVE, EASA, and air safety experts from Member States, which is needed in order to make a determination about the effective implementation of the safety enhancements, and
iii).enacting the eventual removal from the EU Air Safety List by way of a Commission proposal to be endorsed by the EU Air Safety Committee.
