KATHMANDU: The government has appointed Joint Secretary Mukesh Dangol as the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

The decision was made during the Cabinet meeting held on Monday.

Government spokesperson and Minister for Education, Sasmit Pokharel, announced that the Cabinet had approved Dangol’s appointment as the head of CAAN.

Dangol, a Joint Secretary under the Nepal Administrative Service, is currently serving at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

Having entered the civil service through open competition, Dangol originally served as an Air Traffic Control (ATC) officer before transitioning into the administrative sector last year after being promoted to Joint Secretary.

He was later assigned to lead the Civil Aviation Division following the suspension of former division chief Buddhisagar Lamichhane, who was convicted by the Special Court in connection with the Widebody aircraft procurement corruption case.

With this appointment, Dangol has officially taken charge of Nepal’s civil aviation regulator, despite coming from an administrative background rather than a technical aviation role.