The Department of Immigration said that airlines at Tribhuvan International Airport will be held accountable if passengers are denied boarding without a valid reason. In such cases, airlines must fully compensate travellers for any losses incurred, the department said.

Ramchandra Tiwari, the department’s director general, said the move follows incidents where airlines turned passengers away without issuing boarding passes, frequently giving arbitrary reasons.

“From now on, airlines must provide a written explanation to both the passengers and the immigration desk if boarding is denied,” Tiwari said. “If a passenger with complete documents is turned away without a valid reason, the airline will be fully responsible. A circular has been issued to enforce this rule.”

More than 100 passengers travelling to destinations including Dubai, Qatar, and Malaysia were denied boarding on Thursday without clear reasons. Tiwari said an investigation is underway into the unusually high number of such incidents.

On October 30, the department revised rules for visit visas, removing several strict provisions enforced previously. Internal circulars also stated that immigration officers would face disciplinary action if they turned away travellers with valid documents.

“Some parties unhappy with the traveller-friendly reforms seem to be targeting passengers,” a Home Ministry official said. “Recent incidents where airlines cited arbitrary excuses may reflect attempts by those connected to past practices to misuse the system.”

The department introduced new rules permitting passengers to travel abroad with a Nepali passport valid for six months, a visa for their destination, a confirmed departure ticket, and a self-declaration covering submitted documents and travel risks.

Previously, travellers had to present return tickets, US$500 in foreign currency, hotel bookings, or proof of stay with relatives, along with a self-declaration application for those travelling to countries including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. These rules allowed rackets to extort money and facilitate unauthorised travel.

Tiwari said complaints have declined since the introduction of traveller-friendly provisions, and rackets are weakening. However, some individuals continue to create hassles for passengers using arbitrary excuses.

Following the recent incidents, Tiwari met with representatives from eight airlines, including Qatar Airways, Oman Air, FlyDubai, Himalayan Airlines, Nepal Airlines, and Air Arabia, to discuss compliance. Airlines must now provide written reasons to both passengers and the immigration desk for any offloaded travellers.

Past abuses under the old visit visa rules exposed collusion among airport immigration staff, airlines, police, travel and manpower agencies, and educational consultancies. Former head of immigration Tirtha Raj Bhattarai was arrested on May 21 by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority for his alleged role in visa scams. Investigations into the network connected to him are ongoing.

Tiwari said that if airline staff turn away passengers without valid documentation or a legitimate reason, they will face disciplinary action, and the airlines will be held financially liable.