Kathmandu-Dhangadhi Airfares Surge to Rs 22,000 as Festive Season Approaches

Dhangadhi: Airfares on the Kathmandu–Dhangadhi–Kathmandu route have surged as the festive season approaches, adding to the financial burden on residents of Sudurpaschim, who already face high fares under normal circumstances.

Currently, the price of an air ticket from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi has reached as high as Rs 22,000. Although the Civil Aviation Authority has set the maximum fare for the route at Rs 21,600, airline companies have set rates as high as Rs 22,180.

Under normal circumstances, the airfare for the Kathmandu–Dhangadhi route was Rs 10,800. However, airline companies say tickets are no longer available at that rate. According to an airline official in Dhangadhi, some tickets were available at the Rs 10,800 rate until Monday, but the minimum fare will rise to Rs 15,000–16,000 starting Tuesday.

The official said airlines are authorized to charge the maximum fare set by the Authority. Under normal circumstances, tickets were typically sold at around 50 percent of the maximum rate. Airlines argue that fares increase during the festive season due to a one-way surge in passenger traffic, with a massive influx of passengers traveling from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi while the number of passengers returning from Dhangadhi to Kathmandu is comparatively lower, necessitating a fare adjustment.

Mahendra Bahadur Singh, chief of Dhangadhi Airport, has stated that charging more than the maximum fare set by the Civil Aviation Authority is prohibited.

Raised in Parliament, Yet Unaddressed
Even under normal circumstances, airfares to Dhangadhi rank among the highest in the country. The issue of fares between Kathmandu and Dhangadhi exceeding the cost of flying to Delhi, the capital of India, has been repeatedly raised in the House of Representatives. However, the problem remains unresolved.

Last week, Akriti Awasthi, a lawmaker from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party, also demanded a reduction in Kathmandu-Dhangadhi airfares. During a House session, she questioned the disparity in which flying to Delhi is cheaper than traveling to the Sudurpaschim (Far-West) region of one's own country.

She also urged airline companies not to burden citizens with exorbitant airfares. She described the situation, in which fares spike during festivals and rise further when roads are blocked by floods or landslides, as one where citizens are forced to pay a premium due to their lack of alternatives.