India, Nepal to hold talks on air routes

A technical delegation from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is scheduled to visit Nepal on June 14 to discuss cross-border airspace issues, confirmed the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

The two sides are likely to discuss three key cross-border routes that Nepal has sought from India: Janakpur in the eastern, Nepalgunj in the mid-western and Mahendranagar in the far western regions, reported the Kathmandu Post.

"We don't know about the mandate that the Indian delegation has been entrusted with by its government, but we are prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) if the discussions yield a positive outcome," the report quoted a high-level anonymous CAAN official, as saying.

"If the MoU is signed during this meeting, it will open the door for both sides to conduct a safety assessment of the proposed routes soon," the official added.

According to the report, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit two-day state visit to Nepal on May 11, the issue of new air routes was on the agenda.

Nepal has been pushing the agenda of expanding cross-border air routes for the past nine years, the report said.

(ANI)