The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) will host the third module of the Regional Aviation Safety Programme (RASP) in Kathmandu from 23 to 25 June, organised jointly with turboprop manufacturer ATR, as the European Union deepens its aviation cooperation with Nepal and South Asia.

The module focuses on Crew Training and Operational Standards, covering decision-making, operational resilience and fatigue management — the human and procedural dimensions of flight operations. It forms part of a two-week sequence of activities under the EU–South Asia Aviation Partnership Project (EU–South Asia APP), which brings together aviation authorities, airlines, industry representatives and technical experts from across the region.

A second event follows from 29 June to 2 July: a Regulatory Updates in Continuing Airworthiness Workshop under the South Asia Regional Initiative (SARI). That workshop will examine recent developments in European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations and modern oversight concepts, supporting national authorities and industry in implementing evolving international requirements.

The timing carries regulatory weight. Nepal remains subject to European Commission air safety concerns, and the EU's senior diplomat in Kathmandu signalled that Brussels is watching Nepal's corrective efforts closely.

"Air safety is clearly a priority for the Government of Nepal, and we have taken note of the recent remarks by the Finance Minister in his budget speech, aiming to address the concerns of the European Commission," Thomas Millar, Chargé d'affaires at the EU Delegation to Nepal, said at the opening event on 23 June. "We also appreciate the recent submission of the full package concerning the implementation of the Corrective Action Plan. Our colleagues in DG MOVE will review it in the coming months."

DG MOVE, the European Commission's transport directorate-general, oversees the EU air safety list that restricts Nepali carriers from operating within the European Union. The review of Nepal's corrective action plan submission will determine whether the country's carriers move closer to removal from that list — a step with direct consequences for Nepali airlines' network ambitions and codeshare prospects with European partners.

Millar added that the EU and its member states intend to keep working alongside the Nepali government on safety. "The European Union and its Member States are keen to continue working side by side with the Government of Nepal to help achieve the level of safety that Nepali citizens and travellers deserve," he said. "Both the EU and its Member States are already providing technical assistance and have worked closely with all stakeholders to support progress."

The RASP module in Kathmandu has a distinctive format: airlines from the region will present operational experience, practical case studies and lessons learned alongside industry experts. Organisers aim to move beyond classroom-style technical exchanges by putting regulators, operators and manufacturers in the same room — an approach designed to produce safety practices that operators can sustain rather than discard once donor-funded training ends.

ATR's involvement reflects the manufacturer's footprint in South Asian regional operations, where its turboprops dominate thin-route networks flown by carriers with mixed training resources and oversight capacity.

The EU–South Asia APP forms part of the wider EU–Asia Aviation Partnership Project, a regional technical cooperation programme funded by the European Union and implemented by EASA. The project supports civil aviation authorities and stakeholders across South Asia through regulatory dialogue, technical exchange and targeted capacity-building, and aligns with the EU's Global Gateway strategy of promoting safe, sustainable connectivity in the region.

For Nepal, the two events also serve a positioning purpose. Kathmandu is consolidating its role as a platform for aviation dialogue in South Asia, hosting regional regulators and industry at a moment when its own oversight record remains under European scrutiny. The EU frames the shift as an evolution from one-off technical exchanges toward a structured, sustained programme of regional cooperation.

The immediate measure of progress, however, sits in Brussels. DG MOVE's coming review of Nepal's corrective action plan package will show whether the technical cooperation now running through Kathmandu translates into the oversight performance the European Commission requires.