KATHMANDU, July 2: The onset of the monsoon season and a decrease in foreign tourists have significantly impacted domestic flights in Nepal, leading to a 30 percent drop in passenger occupancy and reduced fares.
Yeti Airlines reported that its passenger occupancy has been around 70 percent for the past month. Sudarshan Bartaula, head of flight security and spokesperson for Yeti Airlines, noted that due to reduced occupancy, they are currently serving 2,200 passengers daily. "Now the off-season is ongoing in the domestic aviation industry. With the decreased arrival of foreign tourists due to the rains, we are not expecting much now," said Bartaula. Yeti Airlines operates with seven ATR-72 series aircraft.
Pokhara airport handling 4,000 passengers daily
Buddha Air’s Sales and Marketing Director, Rupesh Joshi, also highlighted the decline in passenger numbers. Buddha Air’s occupancy has decreased by 8 percent, with the airline now serving 7,000 passengers daily. "This is the off-season. With the onset of monsoon, occupancy will further decrease,” said Joshi. Buddha Air currently operates 15 ATR-72 and three ATR-42 aircraft.
Similarly, Shree Airlines, which normally serves over 1,500 passengers daily, is now serving about 1,200 passengers daily. Anil Manandhar, the spokesperson for Shree Airlines, mentioned that the rainy season typically sees lower traffic, leading them to merge flights. Shree Airlines operates with seven turboprop Q-400, two CRJ-200, and two CRJ-700 aircraft.
As a result of decreased occupancy, airline companies have reduced their fares. The current minimum airfares are as follows; Kathmandu to Pokhara: Rs 4,200, Kathmandu to Biratnagar: Rs 5,700, Kathmandu to Dhangadi: Rs 7,900, Kathmandu to Nepalgunj: Rs 6,600, Kathmandu to Janakpur: Rs 4,300, Kathmandu to Bhadrapur: Rs 6,400, Kathmandu to Simara: Rs 3,850.
