'Subsidize flights to rural areas'

KATHMANDU, April 6: Deputy Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Triratna Manandhar, has proposed the government to activate a provision that compels private carriers to pay certain amount to the government for operating flight in order to provide cheaper airfare in remote sector.



Presenting a concept paper at the meeting of high-level committee formed to resolve dispute related to airfare for remote sector on Wednesday, Manandhar advised the committee to levy $4 per passengers of mountain flights, $2 per foreign tourists on scheduled flights and 2 percent of the tariff on chartered flights. [break]



He also advised the government to use the collected amount for providing subsidy in rural sector flights.



Speaking at the meeting, lawmakers from the Karnali zone urged the other committee members to resolve the issue at earliest.



The delay in submission of the report is affecting people in remote areas, as private airlines have cut down their flights and have increased the tariff.



Chief of the committee and joint-sectary at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), Ranjan Krishna Aryal, said the committee would submit its report after studying technical and practical aspects of the proposal.

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