KATHMANDU: The government has established a high-level committee to investigate the reasons behind the failure of newly built international airports. The committee has been mandated to recommend measures to attract commercial flights and to propose a new strategy. These airports, constructed and operated at a cost of billions of rupees, have struggled to secure regular international flights despite substantial investments.

After decades of long wait, the Gautam Buddha International Airport was inaugurated on May 16, 2022, followed by Pokhara International Airport on January 1, 2023. To encourage international flights, the government announced a 100% discount on various fees for airlines flying from these airports for one year. However, this initiative has not succeeded in attracting regular international flights.

To address this issue, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has formed a high-level committee chaired by Baburam Paudel, Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. The committee's mandate is to evaluate the situation and develop a new strategy.

Initially, the authority offered a 100% discount on landing fees, parking service fees, communication and aviation assistance fees (overfly), and security service fees for airlines operating from these two airports. Additionally, ground handling service fees were also waived. Despite these incentives, airlines showed little interest in operating from the new airports, preferring to use Tribhuvan International Airport, where the number of flights has increased.

CAAN Spokesperson Hansraj Pandey explained that the discounts, including a $1,200 reduction per flight, did not significantly attract airlines. The preference for Tribhuvan International Airport is due to the high business volume in ticket sales, even with higher operational costs.

Recognizing the need for a new approach, the CAAN is now studying alternative strategies. The newly formed committee has met with stakeholders in Pokhara and Bhairahawa and collected suggestions on-site. They have also consulted with officials from airlines operating international flights in Nepal. The committee is expected to submit its report shortly, which will inform further actions to improve flight operations at the two airports.