On a wrong course

Top aviation officials appear to be working more for themselves than for the benefit of air travellers.

Frequent plane crashes, natural disasters, poor infrastructure and bureaucratic challenges—they all ail Nepali tourism. There is a dire need to ramp up efforts to get it on track. But then we as a country are taking a step back when the rest of the world is looking to boost tourism with robust plans and policies. The Civil Aviation Authority’s latest decision to close Tribhuvan International Airport—Nepal’s only ariel gateway for foreign tourists and the sole door of opportunities for millions of its citizens—for 10 hours (10 pm to 8 am) to complete a long-overdue taxiway expansion, has garnered national and international criticism for the strain it will put on the country’s tourism.