PM Oli urges European Union to lift ban on Nepali airline companies

Kathmandu / August 19:Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged the European Union to lift a ban on Nepali airline companies from flying across the EU.

Inaugurating the 56th Director Generals of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Conference in Kathmandu on Monday, the prime minister opined that Nepal has made significant progress on aviation section in recent years.

“Concerns relating to aviation security have been addressed, and we have been making good improvement gradually in the field of aviation in recent years. Therefore, there is no need to keep the Nepali airlines in the blacklist in European skies,” Oli asserted.

The prime minister said that the government has identified tourism as one of the major areas that can contribute to realizing the goal of economic development in the country. “Air connectivity is an important aspect for the development of the tourism sector in Nepal,” he said.

Oli also said that the government is working to upgrade Tribhuvan International Airport to the boutique airport. “The construction of two international airports is also underway,” he said.

Prime Minister Oli urged one and all to extend support in the government’s ongoing efforts to attract 2 million in 2020 and make the Visit Year 2020 a grand success.

The five-day conference under the theme ‘Harmonising Efforts to Meet the Challenges of Capacity Constraints’ has witnessed the participation of representatives from 43 countries. Nepal is hosting this conference for the third time. Prior to this, the conference was organized in 1976 and in 1998 in Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali at Singha Durbar today.