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Fewer Lukla flights may hit trekking biz this season

The new tourist season is about to begin but trekking operators have a reason to worry about. They are facing difficulties in booking flights to Lukla - the gateway to Mt Everest - as only one airline is operating in the sector.

At present, Tara Air enjoys monopoly on Kathmandu-Lukla route. And trekking agencies say they have not yet received confirmation of their bookings. Though Namaste Air has announced that it would operate flights before Dashain, that is mid-November, it has yet to receive Air Operation Certification (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

“We booked tickets for Lukla two months ago. But our reservation is still in waiting list,” Bharat Shahi Thakuri, director of Hard Rock Treks and Expeditions, said, adding that the unavailability of sufficient flights might affect the business of trekking operators this season.

Along with Tara, three other airlines - Sita Air, Agni Air and Nepal Air Corporation (NAC) - operated flights in the sector in the last tourist season. But Sita stopped flying after its Lukla-bound Dornier crashed in Kathmandu on September 28. Similarly, Agni Air has been grounded since November last year. State-owned NAC stopped flight to Lukla as it has only one Twin Otter in operation.

Talking to Republica from Lukla on Friday, Mahendra Singh Thapa, president of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), said he had to charter helicopters to take his clients to the Everest Region as the only operator, Tara Air, is under immense pressure as the demand is very high.
Officials of Tara Air said they are trying their level best to fulfill the demand from agencies. “We are currently using three aircraft for Lukla and adding one more from Saturday,” Manjani Shrestha, manager of Tara Air, said. “We will deploy our new Dornier, which is expected to join our fleet by September-end, on Kathmandu-Lukla flights.”

Agencies also blamed that Tara Air has reduced agency discount on round trip fares to 25 percent form last season´s 40 percent. The airline currently charges US$ 328 for roundtrips to Lukla. They also blame that the airline is giving priority to its subsidiary company - Thamserku Trekking - while booking tickets.

Narad Kumar Luitel of Success Travels and Treks said the airline gives less priority to smaller agencies. “They charge us higher fare and give daytime schedule only 90 percent of flights are cancelled due to bad weather,” said Luitel.
Thakuri of said they suggest to their clients to charter helicopters in order to avoid bad experiences. “But that comes with a price; helicopter companies charge as high as US$ 2,800 per hour,” he added.

Shrestha of Tara Air said they are facing immense pressure due to higher demand and limited supply. “We will operate 8-9 flights a day until September 18 and around 22-23 flight a day until the second week of November. But all the seats have been booked,” she said, adding, “Those who are in the waiting list will get tickets only if there is cancellation.”

Around 70,000 trekkers reach Everest Region every year.

source:republica,13 Sept 2013