Nepali pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers must inform their current employers six months in advance before quitting their jobs in Nepal, a government official said here on Saturday.

"The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), a government institute, made this decision in order to discourage pilots from leaving the country for better job opportunities," Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, chief of CAAN's Aviation Safety Department, told reporters.

However, pilots who have not been paid their monthly salaries for two consecutive months can leave the concerned airlines after giving them a month's notice.

The CAAN will bring detailed regulations into the effect within 15 days, Suman said, adding"we have to take the decision keeping in mind the increasing trend of pilots moving to India for better job opportunities."

"Such a trend, if not discouraged on time, is bound to have a negative effect on the country's aviation sector," Suman said.

Airlines will be incurred a big loss when pilots resigned from their jobs suddenly, he noted.

The trend of Nepali pilots moving to India began in 2002 following the grounding of a private Necon Air, said Suman.

There are around 300 Nepali pilots flying in domestic and international sectors of the country, he added.

Source: Xinhua