Tourism Minister asks international airlies to submit their airfares within 24 hours

KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 21: Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Pandey, has asked international airlines operating in Nepal to submit their airfare rates within 24 hours.

During a meeting held yesterday with airline representatives convened to address rising airfares, the minister criticized airlines for charging excessive rates and urged them to reconsider. “We provided facilities to airlines to serve citizens, but that has been undermined. They seem more inclined towards money-making at the cost of the people,” he remarked.

Minister Pandey expressed frustration over the lack of implementation of a five-point agreement reached earlier with airlines to control airfare hikes. Highlighting the growing complaints about high ticket prices, he recalled discussions among the Foreign Affairs, Labor, and Tourism ministries aimed at regulating fares. He called on airlines to fulfil their responsibilities toward the state and the public.

The minister also raised concerns about the national carrier, Nepal Airlines, and Himalaya Airlines, for excessively high fares. Acknowledging citizens' grievances, he instructed airlines to provide detailed records of ticket prices sold within 24 hours, by 4 PM today. ​ "The government will take strict action if airlines fail to reconsider airfare hikes," he warned.

In the same meeting, Ministry Secretary Dr. Ganesh Pandey questioned why airlines had ignored earlier agreements, stating, “Should we enforce decisions ourselves, or do we need stricter regulations? Why hasn’t the agreement been implemented? If you continue to disregard these decisions, we will invite new airlines to operate in Nepal.”

Similarly, Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Pradeep Adhikari, accused airlines of violating the five-point agreement on airfare control and engaging in black market practices by creating artificial ticket shortages. He pledged to address the issue decisively.

During the discussions, airline representatives were reluctant to provide factual information about airfare rates. They were criticized for charging fares up to four times higher than usual. Representatives from international airlines operating in Nepal were also present at the meeting.