Airport tax to be included in ticket prices from July 16

FOUR domestic airlines—Buddha, Yeti, Tara and Simrik—are set to include the passenger service charge (PSC), or airport tax, in ticket prices starting July 16. These four carriers fly 95 percent of the total domestic air travellers. Airline operators said by including the tax in ticket prices, passenger queues will be shorter at the airport and will also reduce hassles. The airport tax on all domestic routes from Kathmandu is Rs 200. In the first phase, the new system will be introduced at the Kathmandu airport only and will be gradually expanded to airports across the country, according to airline executives. “We are all set to implement the system from Kathmandu, and within the next three months, the system will be implemented at all airports,” said Rupesh Joshi, executive manager at Buddha Air. “The system, in line with the international standards, will save time of travellers and also reduce their hassles.” However, helicopter companies and singleengine aircraft operators have asked additional time to adjust to the new system. “As helicopters and single-engine companies do not have ticketing or e-ticketing system, they have problems making their systems compatible with the airport’s system,” said Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN). “We are optimistic that all carriers will include the tax in airline ticket.” According to Suman, CAAN has decided to call them to discuss on how the system can be integrated. The state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has not yet decided to be a part of the system. Ganesh Bahadur Chand, spokesperson for NAC, said they are holding discussions on the issue, but yet to reach a conclusion. “If private operators implement the system, we will also adopt it.” According to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), 12 domestic airlines, including helicopters and single-engine aircraft companies, received 1.575 million passengers in 2012. The Nepali skies saw 70,877 flights in the review period. On an average, 195 planes took off and landed at TIA every day last year. There are 54 domestic airports in the country, out of which 34 run regularly.