KATHMANDU: Domestic airline operators, who had sharply increased ticket prices in response to the countrywide disruption in road traffic caused by floods, have reduced their fares after facing widespread backlash.
As incessant rainfall since Thursday triggered landslides, most of the major highways connecting Kathmandu to other parts of the country have been blocked. The closure of roadways forced many travelers to turn to air travel, providing airlines with an opportunity to hike fares. However, the surge in ticket prices, which peaked on Saturday when the weather cleared, led to public outrage.
With road travel severely disrupted and passengers desperate to reach their destinations, airlines were accused of taking advantage of the crisis by charging excessive fares. In response to the growing criticism, airfares have now been reduced to below the government’s mandated upper limit.
The controversy escalated when Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who was on a visit to the United States, made a public appeal to airlines, urging them to reduce their fares to pre-crisis levels or offer discounted rates in light of the disaster. Despite his request, the airlines initially refused to lower prices.
As the public outcry grew louder, the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee of Parliament held an emergency meeting on Sunday to address the issue. The committee condemned the sudden and steep rise in ticket prices, calling it exploitative. It instructed the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation to take immediate action to regulate airfares.
“In this critical situation, when domestic airlines raise fares unreasonably, it adds to the suffering of the common people,” the committee noted in its directive. “The Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation is therefore instructed to control the airfares to ensure they are fair and affordable during this time of crisis.”
Comment