Budget carriers will have to stop practising TBA for their sales beginning Saturday, November 9, according to the Civil Aviation Authrity of Nepal (CAAN).
The TBA ( or To Be Advised) is a practice in which airlines operators provide travel agencies the tickets in bulk and the right to sell them later, which makes them expensive, an official from CAAN told NBA requesting anonymity.
The decision was made during the meeting between the representatives from various government agencies and airlines operating international flights on Saturday morning. It aims to address ticket availability and pricing related issues following the closure of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for 10 hours daily (from 10 PM to 8 AM), reportedly for five months, to carry out the upgradation work.
It has also been decided that all operators will have to declare their sector wise price range and average price, and make them public, according to the statement issued by CAAN. The operators will be responsible for making necessary arrangements with the travel agencies in adopting measures such as restriction in volume as well as agreement on reasonable service charges.
Read: Airport Upgrade to Limit Domestic Flights by 35%
Additionally, one of the agreements reads: “All carriers to comply with the ‘ASA’ [Air Service Agreement] provisions under “pricing” clause wherein the consumers’ need of protection from unreasonable pricing is mentioned.”
“Since the international operators are not under our direct regulation, it is our request to them, which they have agreed, in an attempt to address the surge in ticket prices,” said the CAAN official. “It will be according to ASA.”
A day ago, Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba has urged the Labour Minister Sharat Singh Bhandari and Tourism Minister Badri pandey to find a solution to the recent issues in the aviation sector.
The Rs 15 billion air transport capacity enhancement project under CAAN aims to expand the parallel taxiway on the airport’s southwest side (or Koteshwar side), the international apron on the north side, and the hangar apron on the east side.
With the reduction in operating hours, international airlines have cut flights to Kathmandu, resulting in the surge in ticket prices, reportedly by up to four times.
Among the most affected groups following the price hike are Nepali migrant workers, who fly in hundreds to various destinations from TIA every day.
“If airlines are monopolising the market, they need to be regulated and brought within the proper framework,” Minister Rana said.
Rajendra Bhandari, President of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies, an umbrella organisation of the manpower agencies operating in the country, along with other representatives from the association urged the government authorities to initiate diplomatic efforts to allow Nepali migrant workers to travel through airports in India temporarily.
Minister Pandey said the airport's maintenance work was essential and could not be delayed, adding that discussions were going on to find to resolve the issue.
