August 26: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is preparing to make the airfare uniform for both foreigners and Nepali nationals during domestic flights.

CAAN is preparing to lower the charge for foreigners upon the recommendation of  the  Airfare Review Committee chaired by Deputy Director-General of CAAN Narendra Thapa.

The committee also includes Anoj Rimal, CEO of Yeti Air, and Manoj Karki, managing director of Summit Air.

However, Nepali airline operators have protested against such a decision informing that the airfare can cost even higher than the current fare if the foreigners will have to pay less than the rate fixed at present. Currently, domestic airlines in Nepal have been charging fares in dollars for foreigners on all the domestic flights.

Airline operators inform that they are providing their air transportation service to Nepali passengers at a concessional rate because they make up for the loss by charging dollars with foreigners.

The committee has made a proposal with the provision for airline operators to charge high fare for foreigners only for flights to Bharatpur in Chitwan, Jomsom in Mustang, Pokhara in Kaski, Lukla in Solukhumbu and Tumlingtar Airport in Sankhuwasabha.

Minister for Tourism Yogesh Bhattarai while addressing the annual progress report of the last fiscal year at the ministry on Tuesday informed that preparations are underway to lower the airfare for foreigners.