Lukla and Pokhara Flights Just Got Cheaper: Nepal Cuts Airfares 14.87% in July 2026
Nepal Oil Corporation slashed aviation fuel prices and regulators passed the savings straight into ticket fares — here's exactly how much Kathmandu-Lukla, Kathmandu-Pokhara and Pokhara-Jomsom fares dropped.
If you are flying into the Everest or Annapurna region this trekking season, your ticket just got cheaper. On July 1, 2026, Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN) cut the fuel surcharge on every domestic route after the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) dropped the price of aviation fuel by 14.87 percent — from NPR 269 to NPR 229 per litre, a reduction of NPR 40. For the two flights most trekkers actually book, Kathmandu-Lukla and Kathmandu-Pokhara, that translates into a real, published fare cut, not just a promise.
Key facts
- Aviation fuel cut 14.87%: NPR 269/litre to NPR 229/litre, effective July 1, 2026
- Kathmandu-Lukla fuel surcharge fell NPR 545, from NPR 3,675 to NPR 3,130
- Kathmandu-Pokhara fuel surcharge fell NPR 635, from NPR 4,270 to NPR 3,635
- Pokhara-Jomsom fuel surcharge fell NPR 320, from NPR 2,145 to NPR 1,825
The cut comes after a rough year for Nepal's domestic aviation sector. Fuel costs had pushed airfares up by as much as 40 percent earlier in fiscal year 2025-26, and the impact on passenger numbers was severe: total domestic traffic fell 12 percent, from 4,557,634 passengers in 2024-25 to 4,016,880 in 2025-26 — a net loss of more than 540,000 travellers in a single year. The decline accelerated through the spring: down 17 percent in the mid-March to mid-April window, 33 percent the following month, and 34 percent in the month after that, according to CAAN traffic data reported by the Kathmandu Post. Buddha Air, the largest domestic carrier with roughly 58 percent market share, carried 394,000 fewer passengers over the year; Yeti Airlines saw a 9 percent decline.
| Route | Before | After | Cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu-Pokhara | 4,270 | 3,635 | -635 |
| Kathmandu-Lukla | 3,675 | 3,130 | -545 |
| Kathmandu-Janakpur | 3,460 | 2,945 | -515 |
| Pokhara-Jomsom | 2,145 | 1,825 | -320 |
| Kathmandu-Biratnagar | 6,460 | 5,500 | -960 |
What this means for trekkers
What this means for you
This is a genuine, if partial, reversal of the fuel-driven fare spikes that hit Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit fly-in trekkers hardest over the past year — Lukla and Jomsom flights are the two legs almost every EBC or fly-Jomsom itinerary depends on. A roughly 15 percent surcharge cut will not undo a 40 percent fare hike on its own, and airlines set base fares independently of the government surcharge, so don't expect ticket prices to fall by exactly the same percentage. But it is a real cost saving heading into the busy autumn season, and it signals fares are moving in the right direction after a year in which passenger numbers fell across almost every domestic route in the country.
Our practical advice hasn't changed: book Lukla and Jomsom sectors as early as you can once your travel dates are fixed, keep a one- or two-day buffer in your itinerary for the weather delays these small mountain airstrips are famous for, and treat any quoted airfare as provisional until it's ticketed — Nepal's domestic fares have moved twice in a single year already. Our Everest Base Camp trek and Annapurna Circuit via Jomsom flight itineraries are built around exactly these routes, and our Annapurna region guide has more detail on the Pokhara-Jomsom flight in particular.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, with fare data from Peoples' Review.
Cover photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0).
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