February 5: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has come up with a six-point reforms to enhance aviation safety.    
CAAN Spokesperson Jagannath Niraula shared that a decision was made to enforce new rules so as to make the aviation service more safe, reliable, dignified and disciplined.    
He further said that CAAN took the initiative to improve professional responsibility and accountability of air service providers.    
The spokesperson further noted that the six-point decision would be strictly implemented as a commitment to make the aviation safety further effective.    
As per the new measures, CAAN has reduced pilots’ duty time by one hour. Likewise, the existing arrangement of allowing a pilot to fly 10 hours and make 10 landings a day has been reduced to eight hours and eight times.    
In case of pilots flying planes to short runways, the existing duty has been reduced to seven from eight hours a day. Likewise, in case of the pilots operating flights in long runways, the nine-hour duty limit has been slashed to eight hours.    
According to the CAAN, all aircraft excluding helicopters should compulsorily keep at least 500-feet above the surface during short take-off and landing (STOL) and at least 1000 feet above the ground in accessible areas while approaching under the visual flight rule (VFR).    
From upcoming summer schedule for 2023, all aircraft apart from STOL aircraft (Twin Otter 410 and Dornier) operating flights in the control aerodrome are allowed to make instrument flight rule service.    
Similarly, CAAN has enforced a mandatory rule of proficiency check skill test from concerned aircraft manufacturing company or the recommended agency before the main pilot carries out proficiency check test of another pilot.    
Likewise, the existing arrangement of extended flight hour operation by keeping more than two crew members has been put off until another arrangement. -- RSS