Government Extends 50% Discount on International Airport Handling Fees, Airlines Remain Uninterested

Kathmandu. On Wednesday, the government decided to provide a 50 percent discount on ground handling and airport fees for two international airports in Bhairahawa and Pokhara. The cabinet meeting made this decision to continue the discount that was in place after the airports began operations.

Currently, for narrow-body aircraft, the fee for a single flight at the airports is nearly one thousand US dollars. Jagannath Niroula, chief of Pokhara International Airport, states that wide-body aircraft have to pay up to fifteen to sixteen hundred dollars based on weight. This 50 percent discount has been continued. In the new system, which will be implemented from October, chartered flights will not be eligible for the facility.