Tara Air adds New Dornier

Tara Air has added a Dornier Do228-212 aircraft to its fleet. According to the Airline, the new aircraft will aid in expanding its services to rural areas of Nepal and will also support the trekking industry.  With the new addition, Tara Air now operates a fleet of four Canadian built DHC6-300 Twin Otters and three German built Dornier Do228-212 aircrafts.

 

“The aircraft has been specifically purchased to support the country’s trekking industry and to provide transportation and food supply to rural areas of Nepal where we have been the only airline flying on a regular basis,” said Roshan Regmi, Marketing Manager of Tara Air. 

 

The 18-seater Dornier Do228-212 is a Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) capable aircraft, ideal for operating in short, high altitude runways such as Lukla and Jomsom.  This Honeywell TPE 331-10 twin engine powered aircraft is equipped with the latest Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and the advanced Traffic Collision Awareness System II (TCAS II) and meets all the airworthiness standards of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

 

Nepal Certified as Full Member of ISO 

Nepal has been certified with full membership of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) during the 36th AGM of ISO in St. Petersberg, Russia. The membership will come into effect from January, 2014. Nepal is the 5th country in South Asia to be certified with full membership of ISO. Before this, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were certified as members.

 

Minister for Commerce and Supplies, Shanker Prasad Koirala formally announced the ISO certification of Nepal amidst a programme at the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology on last week of September. 

 

Koirala said, “This certification has brought immense possibilities along with challenges which we have to utilize and face.” He said that both government and private sector should work hand-in-hand for this. Nepal is certified as a full ISO member after being a correspondent member of ISO for 21 years. “To get full membership of ISO is historical in itself,” said the Secretary at the Ministry of Industries, Krishna Gyawali. He added, “We have to pay around Rs 2.6 million to ISO for the membership but this will bring us a lot of opportunities and ways to profit.” Gyanwali urged concerned departments and the private sector to be more sensible in maintaining quality of production.

 

Ram Adhar Shah, Director General of the Bureau said that with the membership certification, Nepal has received opportunities to work with the world community in quality matters. He also said that this can contribute to Nepal’s export business as ISO is a significant trade tool.

 

Established in 1949 AD, ISO has done quality standardization of more than 19,500 goods. Similarly, the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology also has done quality standardization of around 950 goods among which 12 are compulsory quality standards.