Kathmandu, Feb. 17 -- The Tourism Ministry has informed the ambassadors from different European countries, including the ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Nepal, on the progress of splitting the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal into two entities, which they said was a prerequisite to remove Nepal from the "EU air safety list".

The government has been drawing up a plan to split the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) into a regulatory body and a service provider for the last ten years. Pressure has been mounting on the government to lift Nepal from the "air safety list" of the European Commission as Nepali airlines have been kept on the air safety list for five consecutive years. The list was recently updated on Novembe...