Govt to waives ground handling fees and fuel charges in GBIA and PRIA

KATHMANDU, Aug 19:The government would provide concessions to Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) and Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), ranging from tickets to fuel, so that they can operate at maximum capacity.

The meeting, led by the Prime Minister, is going to make concessions based on the suggestions of the working group formed to explore the possibilities and procedures for operating the two airports at full capacity.

Badri prasad Pandey, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, said an action plan to provide concessions on plane tickets, ground handling, and aviation fuel till Bhadra 2083 (16 September, 2026), when the two international airports will be fully operational.

Minister Pandey stated that, based on the working group's recommendations and the concessions requested by the airlines, the government intends to waive the service fee for ground handling until Bhadra 2083. "We have taken a concession that the government will not charge for the two airports during that period and the government will not charge VAT on air tickets for a specified period," according to him.

He stated that the government will grant a concession by waiving the ticket fee collected by the Nepal Tourism Board for the two airports during that time.  He said that the government is also planning to not take the VAT levied on air tickets until Bhadra 2083.

He stated that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, an action plan has been developed to ensure that fuel prices at Bhairahawa are lower than those at Kathmandu Airport. He stated that the Ministry of Labor and Foreign Affairs plans to manage the immigration office and visa center.

He stated that an action plan for quarantine checks at the airport has been submitted to the Council of Ministers, and that the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock will implement it. He believes that the government's concession to the airport will make it fully functioning.