KATHMANDU, Oct 15: Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sudan Kiranti, has said that up to 10 aircraft will be purchased for Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) in the current fiscal year.

He said this while receiving a memorandum submitted by the ruling party Nepali Congress Students' wing, Nepal Students Union (NSU), at the Minister’s Quarters in Pulchowk. The NSU demanded the black market for the  price of air tickets be controlled during the festival.

He said that due to the increase in the price of fuel, the fare has increased and he will issue a statement after discussing with the relevant agencies of the Ministry to prevent the black market during the festival.

Minister Kiranti said that the government should be able to give concessions to control all inflation and said that the only option is to intervene in the market by adding more planes of NAC.

He claimed that tourists will not come to Nepal without adding up to 10 aircraft. He stated that the process of purchasing the aircraft will be formally started before Dashain. He also said that from today, Nepal Airlines will operate flights from Nepalgunj to remote areas.

He said, "Fuel prices have increased significantly, resulting in a natural 35 percent increase in airfare. Additionally, a 13 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) has been imposed. To address this, we are actively working on acquiring nine to ten more aircraft this year. Without expanding the NAC’s fleet, it will be challenging to attract tourists or control airfare prices. The process of acquiring new aircraft will officially commence in the near future."

 
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