The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has suspended the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Manang Air, a helicopter operator, due to recurrent accidents. This decision comes after a recent crash involving a Manang Air helicopter, ‘9N-ANJ,’ in Lobuche during a high-altitude rescue mission.
This is the second accident in three months, with the previous one on July 11 resulting in the loss of six lives, including five Mexican tourists and the pilot of the ‘9N-AMV’ helicopter in Solukhumbu.
Following the recent helicopter crash of a Manang Air chopper, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) reported that the accident occurred due to a loss of balance during landing, despite favorable weather conditions. The pilot, Prakash Sedhai, sustained severe injuries, including burns and issues with his lungs, kidneys, and spinal bones. He is set to be transferred to the National Burn Center in Mumbai, India for further treatment.
This incident coincided with Finance Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat’s request to the European Union (EU) to remove Nepal from their aviation safety concern list. Since 2013, Nepal’s airlines have been on this list, preventing them from operating flights in European airspace.
Last year, the EU conducted monitoring of Nepali airlines but did not remove them from the list. A planned on-site monitoring visit for February 2023 was canceled after an earlier air crash near Pokhara Airport on January 15.