Kathmandu, August 28

The government’s plan to implement uniformity in airfare for locals and foreigners is not flying high with airline operators, who have slammed the move as ‘infeasible’.

After Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai announced plans to bring uniformity in airfare, the Airline Operators Association of Nepal sent a letter to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation today evening expressing strong reservations against the move.

“The minister should have conducted a market study before floating the idea of revising the airfare,” said Pabitra Karki, president of AOAN, adding it was infeasible to charge the same rate for both domestic and foreign passengers.

According to him, domestic airline operators have set the airfare for locals in accordance with the base rate set by the government. Saying the minister’s announcement had blind-sided airline operators, he informed, “We have provided all the details on the airfare and urged the ministry not to take a decision that would be a death knell for private domestic airlines.”

Karki further questioned the rationale behind planning to impose uniformity in airfare when the government had set different rates for local and foreign climbers for mountaineering. He also said setting separate airfare rates for locals and foreigners was an international practice.

However, Achyut Sharma Guragain, first vice-president of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents, refuted Karki’s claim. “No other country sets different rates — whether for travel or accommodation — for locals and foreigners,” he said. “This has made Nepal a comparatively expensive destination and is dissuading foreigners from revisiting the country.”

Meanwhile, Ghanashyam Upadhyaya, spokesperson for MoCTCA, said the minister had just floated the idea of bringing uniformity in airfare and assured that the ministry would hold discussions with all concerned stakeholders before implementing any decision.“There is no need to panic,” he said.

Tourism entrepreneurs, however, believe that if the government implements uniformity in airfare, it will provide a major boost to the tourism sector. “The government should seriously consider acting on this plan, especially considering the Visit Nepal Year 2020,” said Guragain.