KATHMANDU: Radio Nepal is reducing the height of its Khumaltar-based
transmitter tower to ensure air-safety. The tower stands in the way of
planes' take-off route.
"Radio Nepal is reducing its tower's height to 45 metre from existing
97 metre," said Mahendra Singh Rawal, director of the Civil Aviation
Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
"The height has been creating trouble as it is on the secondary air
route of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA)," he said, adding that
CAAN, Radio Nepal, and Qatar Airways have recently reached an
agreement to reduce the height of the tower.
Aeroplane are compelled to fly carrying less weight than its capacity
since they have to take height within a couple of minutes of take-off
due to the tower in their route.
The compulsion of reducing its weight is called load penalty.
Qatar Airways has provided Rs 20 million to Radio Nepal to purchase
equipment to maintain its quality and CAAN has assured to pay the
customs duty for import of equipment, Rawal said. "Radio Nepal is
expected to reduce the height of the tower by this month," he said.
Radio Nepal Khumaltar transmitting station has three 100 KW short wave
transmitters.
