NAC introduces promotional airfare for Osaka flights

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has introduced a promotional airfare for flights to Osaka in Japan.
As the national flag carrier has already announced its plan operate regular flights to Osaka from August 29, the NAC has offered a promotional airfare for marketing purpose. According to the corporation, passengers flying to Japan can buy one-way ticket at Rs 36,999 – under the promotional scheme – while the charge for round-trip passengers has been set at Rs 72,814, including value added tax (VAT).
Earlier, NAC had fixed Rs 45,000 for one-way and Rs 77,000 for round-trip for Osaka flight.
“The promotional airfare has slashed the normal fare by Rs 8,000 for passengers travelling in Kathmandu-Osaka route, the airlines said, adding that the promotional airfare for the Kathmandu-Osaka route is being offered for a limited time only.
The promotional airfare will last till the festival of Dashain. After that the airfare will be revised again, he added. The national flag carrier is preparing to operate Osaka direct flights three days a week — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It takes around six-and-a-half hours to reach Osaka from Kathmandu.
Earlier, NAC had initially planned to operate Osaka flights from July 14 but the commencement date was postponed to August due to poor response from passengers.
NAC had, earlier, operated commercial flights in Kathmandu-Osaka route twice a week in between 1994 and 2007. But iut was halted due to lack of aircraft and human resources.
The NAC is also resuming direct flights to Osaka of Japan after a hiatus of 12 years. Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) permitted the NAC to resume its flight to Osaka after Nepal and Japan signed Exchange of Notes on revising the Air Service Agreement (ASA) earlier this year.
The NAC has been operating scheduled flights to New Delhi, Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Mumbai, and Bangalore with the fleet of two Airbus A320-200s and two Airbus A330-200.

Domestic airfare comes down

Flying inside the country will be a bit cheaper from Sunday as the domestic carriers have slashed the fuel surcharge following a drop in the price of aviation fuel. The domestic airfare has been revised downwards as the fuel surcharge on both trunk and short take-off and landing (STOL) routes has come down.
The new tariff will be implemented from Sunday.
"The fuel surcharge has been decreased by Rs 90 to Rs 440 on trunk routes and Rs 40 to Rs 340 on STOL routes," according to Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN).
According to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the privately-owned domestic airliners can review fuel surcharge, if fuel price increases or decreases by at least Rs 4 per liter. The revised price fuel surcharge, however, should come into effect after 72 hours. The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) had reduced ATF price by Rs 10 per litre to Rs 94.50 on Thursday, on its anniversary day.
The surcharge reduction applies to the normal fare which is high but the airliners have been also selling tickets at cheaper rates at present too. According to spokesperson for AOAN Ghanashyam Acharya, on the basis of revised fuel surcharge, tickets for mountain flights will now cost Rs 11,300 from Kathmandu. "Similarly, flights to Pokhara, Bharatpur, Biratnagar, Janakpur, and Simara from Kathmandu will costs Rs 5,050, Rs 3,650, Rs 7,550, Rs 4,300, and Rs 3,120 respectively."
Likewise, airfares to Bhairahawa, Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj, Bhadrapur and Tumlingtar from Kathmandu will be Rs 6,200, Rs 12,650, Rs 10,000, Rs 9,100, and Rs 6,000 respectively.
Airlines operators had increased airfare last August, when the NOC had increased ATF price. Then the domestic carriers raised the fuel surcharge from Rs 40 to Rs 200 when NOC had increased the price of aviation fuel by Rs 4.50 per litre to Rs 104.50 per litre.
According to the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA), Nepali skies saw 246 domestic flights daily on average.

Domestic carriers hike fuel surcharge, air travel becomes costlier

With the state oil monopoly jacking up prices of the aviation fuel by Rs 10 per litre to Rs 130 from Saturday, the domestic carriers are also increasing the fuel surcharge on air tickets by up to Rs 385 from tomorrow making the air travel costlier.

On August 10, the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) had hiked Rs 10 or eight per cent in the aviation fuel.

Domestic airliners can adjust fuel surcharge, if the aviation fuel is adjusted by Rs 4 per litre upwards or downwards.
A meeting of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal (AOAN) has immediately after the fuel price hike on Saturday, announced to the increase fuel surcharge on Sunday.

The shortest distance air ticket to Simara will now be hiked by Rs 110, whereas the longest distance air travel Dhangadi will add Rs 385 and mountain flights will add Rs 375 fuel surcharge.

According to senior marketing manager of Buddha Air Rupesh Joshi, the airliners are forced to hike the fuel surcharge due to hike in the price of the domestic aviation fuel that contributes around 30 per cent to 35 per cent to the overall cost of the airlines operations.

Earlier, the domestic airlines has increased fuel surcharge on September 5, 2012, after NOC had raised the aviation fuel price by 10.09 per cent to Rs 120 per litre.