KATHMANDU, Jan 23: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has made preparation to operate second generation (2G) radar in order to make air service from and to the only international airport in the country, Tribhuvan International Airport safe and reliable. 

The 2G with advance capacity is being introduced with the financial and technical assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It has been installed at Bhattedanda, Lalitpur. 

CAAN Officiating Deputy Director General Narendra Thapa informed that the high level delegation of JICA and Japanese Embassy in Nepal is monitoring a technical test of the system on Wednesday. 

With this in place, the radar having the capacity of only 60 aeronautical miles at TIA would be upgraded to the capacity of 120 aeronautical miles. The installation of new system would help solve the problems of 'holding' planes in the sky. 
The test of the radar installed at Bhattedanda at the height of 3,000 meters and at the system in TIA has been already been successful. 

Till date, the TIA was bound to contact the flights out of the Kathmandu Valley through the radio signal. The upgrading of the radar would now end this hassle, too. The new radar can provide information of the flights as far as 450 kms from Kathmandu. 

TIA Office Spokesperson Prem Nath Thakur informed that the newly installed radar helps garner information of the flights in different heights. 

The cost of the radar installation is Rs one billion. 

Similarly, Thapa said the radar at Bhattedanda can provide information about the speed and height of the planes flying in all places in the east and up to Dang in the west of the country. 

Nepal, for the first time, had installed the radar with the assistance from Japan in 2057 BS. It was installed after the Thai Airways plane crashed at Ghoptebhir, Rasuwa. 
 

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