Nepal had proposed three air routes - Himalaya 1 (Nepalgunj-Kolkata-Indek in Pakistan), Himalaya 2 (Kathmandu-Bagdogra-Guwahati-Silchar-Imphal-Kunming) and Himalaya 3 (Kathmandu-Nepalgunj-Delhi) - at different meetings of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and ther forums. Among them, the most advantageous route is Himalaya 2.

“The proposed Himalaya 2 airspace reduces air travel distance by more than 100 nautical miles (around 20 minutes of flight time) and will significantly reduce CO2 emission caused by international airlines,” said Mahesh Kumar Basnet, chief of Air Traffic Management at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan).

“It will help reduce congestion of westbound traffic flows across the Bay of Bengal and allow airlines to fly over Nepali airspace resulting in savings in fuel and generating revenue for the country. Nepal has been lobbying for implementing the airspaces for more than a decade,” he said.  According to Basnet, Nepal could earn US$ 250-500 per flight, depending on the size of the aircraft, if international airlines use Nepali airspace.

Caan plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Air Traffic Service Unit of China for the development of the proposed route before tabling the proposal at the ICAO Asia and Pacific Air Navigation Planning and Implementation Regional Group.

The implementation of these routes will be possible only with the cooperation of the concerned countries such as India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal in close coordination with ICAO and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA has kept Himalaya 2 as a future requirement.

After the routes are approved, all the countries have to publish them in their aeronautical information publication. An extension of L626 or new route will be proposed from Kathmandu to Kunming via Bagdogra-Guwahati-Imphal, India in order to implement the proposed Himalaya route.

After a seven-year endeavour, the L626 airspace was opened on Nov 19, 2009. The route links New Delhi with Kathmandu through the flight path passing over Chitwan, Palpa, Surkhet and Mahendranagar. The L626 route allows westbound aircraft to fly in the Nepali skies for 52 minutes. Previously, international flights used to remain in Nepal’s airspace for around 20 minutes. As per the letter of agreement (LoA) on air routes signed between China and India in September 2009 and ATS coordination procedures, Nepal has been permitted to use this airspace over India.

As of now, due to poor communication and navigation aids, none of the international airlines expect those connecting Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) uses Nepali airspaces.

“Nepal needs to ensure that it is capable with navigation and communication aids to handle international air traffic if the proposed routes are approved,” said Suresh Acharya, joint secretary at the Civil Aviation Ministry.

“These routes will ease traffic congestion across the Bay of Bengal and provide multiple benefits to international operators that will ultimately minimize the operating cost for airlines,” said Acharya.  

According to Basnet, Nepal will have sufficient air navigation and communication aids by the end of 2014. “We have planned to install remote control air ground (RCAG) in Biratnagar by this year which will assure full fledged coverage of the Nepali skies.” Currently, the RCAG at Nepalgunj airport provides air traffic coverage towards the western part of Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, for better surveillance of air traffic covering the entire Nepali airspace, Caan has started installing second generation Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) systems at TIA and Bhatte Danda in Lalitpur under a TIA modernization project that is expected to be a milestone in ensuring safer and more reliable Nepali skies. Due to poor radar surveillance, international airlines have been reluctant to use Nepal’s airspace.

The project, which is estimated to be completed by 2015, ensures high performance to improve reliability and safety of air transport and will extend en-route surveillance up to 200 nautical miles.