The aviation and tourism sector in Nepal has reacted with dismay at the decision on Monday by the civil aviation authorities to ban wide-body flights to and from Kathmandu, saying it would be disastrous for the economy.

The head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Ritesh Chandra Lal Suman told a press conference on Monday that his agency had written to operators not to bring in wide-body aircraft with more than 250 seatsbecause of the persistent problem with cracks on the only runway at Nepal’s only international airport. “We have informed the operators of the limitations of the runway,” Suman said, “we have asked them to use smaller aircraft or reduce the payload on flights.”

However, airlines using Kathmandu airport seemed confused about whether this was a complete ban or just a suggestion, from when it will take effect, and for how long. In fact, many airlines said they had neverreceived the letter CAAN claims to have sent them. “To us, it seems that CAAN is trying to get off the hook by passing the buck and appearing to be doing something about the runway,” said one operator on condition of anonymity, “and we haven’t been instructed to stop flying in wide-bodies.”

Of the international airlines operating to Kathmandu, Thai Airways, Korean, Dragon Air and Air Asia regularly bring Boeing 777s or Airbus 330-300s. Other airlines like Qatar and Etihad fly in 330s in the peak tourist season. Most other airlines use smaller Being 737s and Airbus 320s.

“We have taken this as a request letter, not yet as a mandatory rule,” said Joy Dewan, local representative for Turkish Airlines which is launching a direct link to Istanbul from 2 September using Airbus 330 aircraft. “Stopping long haul flights completely just when the tourist season is about to start would be terrible. The timing is disastrous.”

The runway at Kathmandu airport was built in 1968, although it has been extended and reinforced after that. The last asphalt overlay was completed in 2011 and the contractor appears to have done shoddy work because the surface has developed cracks and peeled off along the southern end of the runway. The airport has been closed several times in the past two weeks, forcing planes to burn fuel on long holds while emergency crews repaired the cracks.

Some airline executives say CAAN and the airport management has faced criticism for not doing enough, and Monday’s press conference was to show that it is taking action. There are also reports that it is trying to deflect attention from a CIAA probe on alleged corruption in the 2011 runway repair contract. “They have passed the buck to us, so that they will not be blamed,” one official said.

However, two representatives of international airlines that Nepali Times spoke to said the runway was in bad shape, and needed a major overhaul if flight safety was not to be jeopardised. That would mean doing more than the piecemeal repairs that are going on now, entailing closure of all international flights for an extended period.

One operator regularly using wide-bodies said its planes may be big, but they arrive in Kathmandu with nearly empty tanks after long flights so the weight impact on the runway is not very big. The airline said it could also undertake a load penalty on takeoff so as to reduce the strain in the runway. CAAN officials were unavailable for comment, and staff said they were at a meeting to‘re-evaluate’ the situation. CAAN is also taking the advice of a Spanish contractor, Ayesa Ingenieria, which is said to be inspecting the runway and will be giving a report next month. If that is the case, argue airline operators, why did CAAN write to the airlines about a ban on wide-bodies before the report comes out pinpointing the problem and laying out recommendations?

Said Bharat Kumar Shrestha of the Airlines Operating Committee (AOC) representing international airlines: “All the airlines have already made their bookings and it will be impossible for them to cancel reservations on wide-body aircraft without major disruptions to the airlines and a loss to the national economy.”

The aviation and tourism sector in Nepal has reacted with dismay at the decision on Monday by the civil aviation authorities to ban wide-body flights to and from Kathmandu, saying it would be disastrous for the economy.

The head of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Ritesh Chandra Lal Suman told a press conference on Monday that his agency had written to operators not to bring in wide-body aircraft with more than 250 seats because of the persistent problem with cracks on the only runway at Nepal’s only international airport. “We have informed the operators of the limitations of the runway,” Suman said, “we have asked them to use smaller aircraft or reduce the payload on flights.”

However, airlines using Kathmandu airport seemed confused about whether this was a complete ban or just a suggestion, from when it will take effect, and for how long. In fact, many airlines said they had neverreceived the letter CAAN claims to have sent them. “To us, it seems that CAAN is trying to get off the hook by passing the buck and appearing to be doing something about the runway,” said one operator on condition of anonymity, “and we haven’t been instructed to stop flying in wide-bodies.”

Of the international airlines operating to Kathmandu, Thai Airways, Korean, Dragon Air and Air Asia regularly bring Boeing 777s or Airbus 330-300s. Other airlines like Qatar and Etihad fly in 330s in the peak tourist season. Most other airlines use smaller Being 737s and Airbus 320s.

“We have taken this as a request letter, not yet as a mandatory rule,” said Joy Dewan, local representative for Turkish Airlines which is launching a direct link to Istanbul from 2 September using Airbus 330 aircraft. “Stopping long haul flights completely just when the tourist season is about to start would be terrible. The timing is disastrous.”

The runway at Kathmandu airport was built in 1968, although it has been extended and reinforced after that. The last asphalt overlay was completed in 2011 and the contractor appears to have done shoddy work because the surface has developed cracks and peeled off along the southern end of the runway. The airport has been closed several times in the past two weeks, forcing planes to burn fuel on long holds while emergency crews repaired the cracks.

Some airline executives say CAAN and the airport management has faced criticism for not doing enough, and Monday’s press conference was to show that it is taking action. There are also reports that it is trying to deflect attention from a CIAA probe on alleged corruption in the 2011 runway repair contract. “They have passed the buck to us, so that they will not be blamed,” one official said.

However, two representatives of international airlines that Nepali Times spoke to said the runway was in bad shape, and needed a major overhaul if flight safety was not to be jeopardised. That would mean doing more than the piecemeal repairs that are going on now, entailing closure of all international flights for an extended period.

One operator regularly using wide-bodies said its planes may be big, but they arrive in Kathmandu with nearly empty tanks after long flights so the weight impact on the runway is not very big. The airline said it could also undertake a load penalty on takeoff so as to reduce the strain in the runway. CAAN officials were unavailable for comment, and staff said they were at a meeting to‘re-evaluate’ the situation. CAAN is also taking the advice of a Spanish contractor, Ayesa Ingenieria, which is said to be inspecting the runway and will be giving a report next month. If that is the case, argue airline operators, why did CAAN write to the airlines about a ban on wide-bodies before the report comes out pinpointing the problem and laying out recommendations?

Said Bharat Kumar Shrestha of the Airlines Operating Committee (AOC) representing international airlines: “All the airlines have already made their bookings and it will be impossible for them to cancel reservations on wide-body aircraft without major disruptions to the airlines and a loss to the national economy.”