Poor visibility affects flights from Kathmandu to remote areas

Kathmandu, November 4 — Adverse weather conditions have significantly impacted air travel across the country. Poor visibility caused by the weather has disrupted flights from Kathmandu to various remote airports.

According to Jagannath Niraula, the general manager of Tribhuvan International Airport, flights to Lukla have been canceled due to thick fog. “The deterioration in weather conditions has affected flights to remote areas, while operations at airports in accessible regions are running as usual,” he stated.

At Kathmandu Airport, only Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flights are currently operating. Visual Flight Rules (VFR) flights have not been able to take off due to the weather. The airport office reported that a significant number of tourists heading to their destinations have been stranded due to the flight disruptions.

Although flights to the Terai region from Kathmandu are operating regularly, most flights to remote areas have not taken off. Internal flights from the international airport have been generally affected, but international flights are running normally.

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology stated that the western winds, local winds, and a low-pressure system near West Bengal, India, are partially influencing the weather. The hilly regions of the country are expected to be partly cloudy to generally cloudy, while other areas will remain partly cloudy to clear.

There is a possibility of light to moderate rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, in some areas of Bagmati Province and Gandaki Province, as well as a few places in the Terai region. Currently, light rain is occurring in various parts of the Kathmandu Valley.