Kathmandu, September 2
The disruption of major highways following the devastating floods in Rasuwa has pushed more travellers towards air travel, increasing pressure on domestic airlines.
With long-distance road travel disrupted and alternatives limited, airlines have been struggling to accommodate the surge in passengers.
Buddha Air, Nepal’s largest domestic airline by market share, fleet size and passenger volume, has announced that it will not increase airfares until road transportation returns to normal.
The airline currently carries more than 10,000 passengers a day. It says both passenger numbers and flight frequency have risen sharply since the Bhotekoshi floods.
“Road transportation has not been able to return to normal because of the impact of the Rasuwa floods,” Buddha Air Executive Chairman Birendra Bahadur Basnet told Onlinekhabar. “We will not increase airfares until the highways are accessible again. We will continue taking passengers to their destinations at the current fares.”
Basnet said the decision to maintain minimum fares would mean the airline is likely to incur losses of more than Rs 600 million in the current fiscal year.
“When the country itself is facing a disaster, we have taken this decision as our contribution. Once things return to normal, we can make profits next year. This year, we will contribute to the country,” Basnet said.
The floods and landslides have disrupted the Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway, a major road link connecting Kathmandu with other parts of the country. The alternative Tribhuvan Highway and Kanti Lokpath have also come under increased pressure.
“With the roads disrupted by a natural disaster, we are in a situation where we have to create an air bridge,” Basnet said. “No matter how much loss we incur in these difficult circumstances, our conscience does not allow us to raise fares.”
Fares to remain low during Dashain and Tihar
Domestic airlines often face criticism for raising fares during Dashain and Tihar, when demand for flights out of Kathmandu surges.
Buddha Air says it will maintain its minimum fares during this year’s festivals as well.
Basnet estimates that road transportation could take at least six months to return to normal.
“Until then, we will operate at the minimum fares and continue increasing the number of flights,” he said.
The airline has also extended its operating hours following the disaster, with its final flights now operating as late as 11pm.
Free transport of relief supplies
Buddha Air is also transporting relief supplies for people affected by the Bhotekoshi floods free of charge.
The airline says it transported 6,420 kilograms of relief materials to different destinations on Wednesday alone.
This included supplies bound for Bhadrapur, Bharatpur, Surkhet, Dhangadhi, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa and Simara.
Buddha Air currently operates 15 ATR 72-500 aircraft and one ATR 72-600, each with a capacity of 72 passengers. It operates around six dozen flights a day.
Meanwhile, aviation fuel prices have risen sharply. According to Buddha Air, the price increased 96 percent between February and August 2026, from $127 per litre to $249 per litre.
Despite the rise in fuel costs, the airline says it will maintain minimum fares while road connections remain disrupted.
On the Kathmandu-Bhairahawa route, fares rose from Rs5,700 in February to Rs6,500 in August, an increase of 14 percent.
