The decision comes following the Tara Air crash in December when Bhutanese passengers traveled under Nepali names. Relatives of the passengers failed to get insurance payment because of the fake names. [break]
Executive Manager at Buddha Air Rupesh Joshi informed Republica that the provision on ID was not like a new regulation. “The rule was already there but it has simply been tightened following instructions from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
Reservations Manager at Yeti Airlines Ankur Rana said that ID cards were made mandatory for security reasons. “A good practice has begun,” Rana said adding that CAAN has been asking for a long time to maintain a record of passenger IDs.
Airline operators say that following this decision there was no possibility of boarding a plane under someone else´s name. Rana at Buddha Air said it was part of international norms for air security. He further said that a simple error in spelling could be overlooked but if there was something suspicious, an airline could even stop a passenger from boarding a flight.
However, the condition will not apply while purchasing tickets. Previously, during the state of emergency also, ID cards were made mandatory for domestic passengers. The condition was no longer required after the emergency was lifted.
The Airline Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) had written to travel agencies a few days ago to ask passengers to carry an ID card. The notice issued by AOAN states that if a passenger fails to furnish his ID during the check-in, the ticket could be cancelled.
“Nearly 99 percent of tickets are sold through travel agencies; so all travel agencies are requested to inform passengers to carry their ID cards,” Agni Air Station Manager in Pokhara Rijan Rijal said.
Deputy General Manager at Sita World Travels Suraj Lamichhane said that he had received the letter with instructions from the major domestic airlines. He expressed hope that strictness would help generate more revenue for airline operators. “Some travel agencies were selling tickets to foreigners (especially non-resident Indians) under Nepali names and strictness over ID cards will bring such activities under control,” Lamichhane said. Foreigners other than Indians have to pay dollar fares, which are more than double compared to normal fares.
He further said there were a number of things to be considered for maintaining air security and this was just one of them. “Making ID cards mandatory will be more useful for identification and insurance claim purposes in case of mishap,” Lamichhane said.
(With inputs from Santosh Pokhrel in Pokhara)
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