Kathmandu, September 9
Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Yogesh Bhattarai has claimed that closing airports for the public whenever aircraft carrying VVIPs take off and land is necessary to ensure that security arrangements are okay for the travelling officials. He says the entire world has been practising that; hence, there should not be any change in Nepal.
He adds that the International Civil Aviation Organisation has also accepted the tradition, therefore the rule must be followed.
Bhattarai’s comment responds to several complaints of the public on social media protesting frequent restrictions at the Tribhuvan International Airport.
In a conversation with Onlinekhabar, the minister says the government informs airline companies about travel plans of the VVIPs so that the companies can schedule their flights accordingly. However, the general passengers get into trouble in Kathmandu frequently as the airport here is too congested, he accepts.
“We will explore new options to make sure that the citizens get the least hassles,” he maintains.
