TIA will remain closed for 10 hours a day from today, affecting daily flight schedule

November 8, Kathmandu: Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will remain closed for 10 hours a day for the next five months, starting on Friday. The closure is part of a project to upgrade the airport, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

The Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project will see the widening of the southwest taxiway, the international apron (toward the north), and the hangar apron (toward the east).

The total estimated cost of these upgrades is Rs 15 billion. During the closure period, which will last from 10:00 pm to 8:00 am, no flights will operate.

Even if the airport will be closed for 10 hours, the airport’s whole daily schedule which starts from 6 am and continues to 2 am, will be affected.

According to Project Chief Dipendra Shrestha, the taxiway will be expanded to run parallel to the airport’s runway.

The closure is needed for safety reasons, according to TIA officials.

Presently, Nepal has three international airports: Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Gautam Buddha International Airport in Lumbini, and Pokhara International Airport.

The runway at TIA was expanded to 3,300 meters four years ago, requiring the airport to close for 12 hours each day. Additionally, six years ago, the runway was completely resurfaced with blacktop, which necessitated a daily closure of 10 hours for approximately four months.

During the closures, about 30% of both domestic and international flights were suspended. TIA manages over 200 domestic flights and approximately 100 international flights each day, and the ongoing upgrades aim to further enhance its capacity and safety standards.