The Nepali government is preparing to slash landing, parking and ground handling fees at Tribhuvan International Airport, the only international airport in the country based in Kathmandu, by 25 percent for a year for new airlines coming to Nepal, to attract more international carriers, local media reported on Sep. 8.

According to a leading website, www.ekantipur.com report, the move is also in response to growing complaints by foreign airlines over high charges at the airport compared to other regional airports, said an official at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

"If new international airlines come to Nepal, they will enjoy the facility for a period of one year of operation," he added.

"All ministerial level preparations in this regard have been completed and the proposal has already been forwarded to the cabinet." He further elaborated that the 25 percent concession is also an effort to lure more airlines to Nepal so that the tourism industry could get a boost and air ticket shortages could end.

Leading foreign airlines have long been complaining that operating costs in Nepal are high due to expensive ground handling, landing and parking fees. Citing this reason, a few airlines like Austrian, which used to directly connect Nepal with Europe, terminated their operations.

With a boom in tourism, foreign airlines have found Nepal a lucrative destination in terms of traffic. Four airlines are in the process of launching flights to Nepal, and these will be the first beneficiaries of the government's new plan, if implemented.

The airlines in the pipeline are Etihad Airlines, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, SilkAir - a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, Hong Kong's Dragonair, and Orient Thai.