Kathmandu, Sept. 4 -- On August 25, a charter flight of Air Arabia landed at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport. Among the 161 passengers on board, 142 produced a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test report conducted in the last 72 hours as per regulations. But 18 passengers provided rapid diagnostic test (RDT) results, which have not been authorised by the Nepal government, and one passenger did not produce any test report at all.

The Sharjah-based carrier arrived in Nepal in violation of the rules four days after the cabinet ordered that airlines should only board passengers with a negative PCR test report conducted in the last 72 hours.

Airlines have also been barred from bringing passengers with and without PCR tes...