Kathmandu, December 15

Domestic airline operators have increased basic airfare to different destinations effective from December 19, as per the recommendation of the government.

Revising the standard airfare rate to domestic destinations after eight years, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has allowed domestic airline companies to increase airfares by up to 24 per cent. Though a new standard airfare has to be set every two years, the government had not made changes in standard airfare rate since last eight years.

“We have increased the airfare to different domestic destinations following the government’s recommendation,” said Ghanshyam Acharya, spokesperson for Airline Operators’ Association of Nepal — the umbrella body of domestic

airlines — adding that the new fare will come into effect from Monday.

However, Acharya informed that the airfare has been increased only in trunk and tourist sectors and the airfare to remote destinations like Dolpa, Jumla Mugu, Humla have been kept the same.

As fuel price is said to have 50 per cent stake in overall operation cost of an aircraft, government fuel surcharge is independently added to the airfare. Fuel surcharge is adjusted on every change in price of aviation turbine fuel by at least four rupees per litre. The current hike in the basic airfare will be in place for the next two years.

As per the new revised fare, air travel from Kathmandu to Biratnagar will cost Rs 7,000. Similarly, basic airfare for Kathmandu-Bharatpur route and Kathmandu-Pokhara route has been fixed at Rs 3,300 and Rs 4,500, respectively. Likewise, basic airfare for Kathmandu-Nepalgunj and Kathmandu-Dhangadi route has been fixed at Rs 9,300 and Rs 12,000.