Domestic air fares to go up

KATHMANDU, Aug 8 - Domestic airlines have decided to slap an additional surcharge in the range of Rs 45 to Rs 215 from this Friday, citing a rise in aviation fuel, in a move that violates aviation regulations. This will make air fares costlier by Rs 45 for Simara, Rs 70 for Pokhara, Rs 110 for Bhadrapur, Rs 95 for Biratnagar, Rs 85 for Bhairahawa, Rs 115 for Nepalgunj, and Rs 215 for Dhangadhi. This is in addition to the surcharge that airlines have been charging for the last nine months.

Domestic air fares to go up



Nepal Oil Corporation recently increased price of aviation fuel to Rs 72 per liter, up from Rs 68, a measure imposed only on domestic airlines.Pradeep Shah, sales director of Yeti Airlines, said as NOC raised the price arbitrarily, they decided to impose an extra surcharge to offset heightened operating costs.

"Earlier, the government had agreed with the airlines to let them adjust surcharge whenever the air fuel price moves up and down. On the basis of this, we revised surcharge upward," said Rupesh Joshi, marketing director of Buddha Air.However, Yagya Gautam, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, said the airlines´ step clearly violates the rules, and they do not have any authority to fix fares or impose surcharges on their own. "It is the government which decides whether to impose or not, and the amount."