KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia X Bhd is owing Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) Rs 194 million, of which around Rs 130 million is related to late fees, according to a newsreport.
The low cost airline’s request to TIA to waive the dues related to late fees however has been rejected, the report added.
Civil Aviation Office at TIA, deputy manager Shashi Lal Pradhan said the highest amount of dues were from late fees and that was the reason why TIA refused to meet AirAsia’s request to waive the dues.
Pradhan said AirAsia had written a letter to TIA seeking a waiver of at least its late fees last month but as the request was rejected, the airline had sent another letter through the Embassy of Malaysia in Nepal.
“As we refused to waive their late fees they are now trying to approach the Nepal government via the Malaysian Embassy.
“If the government addresses the embassy’s request and directs us to waive their fees then we will have to waive it,” Pradhan was quoted as saying by the newsreport.
“TIA does not have any intention of waiving the late fees but if the government gives a direction to that effect then they will have to do it,” he added.
The newsreport said AirAsia has already suspended its flights to Nepal since October 13, 2018 with around Rs 350 million pending dues to be paid to TIA.
“Since then it has always been dragged into controversies related with its pending dues,” it said.