KATHMANDU, Sept. 11 — India’s newly operational Navi Mumbai International Airport is offering a 100 percent waiver on landing charges for qualifying international passenger flights during their first year, as it seeks to attract airlines and rapidly expand its international network.

The incentive will gradually decline in subsequent years, while additional concessions are available for new frequencies and international cargo operations. The strategy is designed to encourage airlines to establish new routes from Navi Mumbai.

The move offers an important lesson for Nepal, which has faced similar challenges in attracting international airlines to its new airports in Pokhara and Bhairahawa.

Nepal has already introduced major incentives at Gautam Buddha International Airport and Pokhara International Airport, including waivers on landing, parking and navigation charges and reductions in ground-handling fees. The government has extended these incentives until 2028.

However, Nepal's experience shows that fee waivers alone do not guarantee sustainable international flights.

The key difference is market size. Navi Mumbai is part of the huge Mumbai Metropolitan Region, with strong business, tourism, cargo and connecting-passenger demand. Pokhara and Bhairahawa, by comparison, have much smaller catchment areas and limited international airline networks.

For Nepal, the bigger lesson is that airport incentives should be combined with route-development programmes, tourism promotion, airline partnerships and improved ground connectivity.

Pokhara has a strong tourism brand, while Bhairahawa has the strategic advantage of serving Lumbini, a major Buddhist pilgrimage destination. Both airports therefore have potential, but that potential must be converted into consistent passenger demand.

Instead of relying indefinitely on fee waivers, Nepal could introduce performance-based incentives—rewarding airlines that launch new routes, increase frequencies and maintain flights during off-season periods.

Navi Mumbai's approach shows that a new airport needs more than a runway and terminal. It needs an airline network, passengers and a commercial strategy.

For Nepal, the challenge is no longer simply building international airports. The priority now should be making Pokhara and Bhairahawa commercially viable international gateways.