TIA to reintroduce duty-free shops after 15-year hiatus

KATHMANDU: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is set to reopen duty-free shops at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) after a closure spanning one and a half decades.

To facilitate this reopening, CAAN issued a tender on Monday, inviting interested firms to participate in the operation of duty-free shops. According to the notice, a designated area of 26.11 square meters on the first floor and 75.8 square meters near the immigration unit will be allocated for duty-free shop operations.

Interested firms are required to submit their bids within 30 days, with selected firms being awarded contracts for a five-year period to manage their outlets. Jagannath Niroula, spokesperson for CAAN, mentioned that the authority aims to enhance its revenue by reintroducing duty-free shops.

In July, the Ministry of Tourism, through a 73-point work plan, announced the revival of duty-free shops at TIA. CAAN plans to offer a range of products, including handicrafts and domestically produced liquors, through these duty-free outlets.

The closure of the longstanding duty-free shop, operated by the government undertaking National Trading Ltd, occurred in 2008 under the direction of then Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai. The abrupt closure was attributed to the substantial losses incurred by the public enterprise.