TIA to close for 10 hours daily starting November 8

Kathmandu, November 5 — Tribhuvan International Airport will be closed for 10 hours daily starting November 8 for runway expansion work. The closure is necessary to construct a taxiway parallel to the runway to increase the airport's operational capacity.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the work will take approximately five months at a rate of 10 hours per day. Since it is not possible to carry out the work during the summer season due to the monsoon, the current period is the only feasible time, explained CAAN's Director General, Engineer Pradeep Adhikari.

Engineer Adhikari clarified that the airport's operational capacity will be increased by building the parallel taxiway to the runway. He also emphasized that the plan for this project has been in place for nearly eight months and should not be associated with the operations of Bhairahawa International Airport.

He further explained that the project is purely commercial, not strategic or political, and that all airlines have been consulted and agreed upon the runway enhancement work.

Due to fewer flights in the winter months, this is the ideal time to proceed with the runway upgrade, said CAAN. Despite an estimated revenue loss of about NPR 2 billion for the current fiscal year, the work was deemed essential to enhance the airport's operational capacity.

Once the parallel taxiway is completed, the current constraint of requiring aircraft to use the runway to reach the apron will be eliminated, said Adhikari. The completion of the taxiway is expected to increase the airport's capacity by 25%.

According to CAAN, this upgrade will reduce external flights by 30%, but internal flights will also see a reduction. Adhikari also reminded that the government has already made arrangements for cheaper ticket prices for flights operating from Bhairahawa International Airport. Additionally, three international airlines have committed to operating flights from the airport. 

The government has already decided to make tickets for flights from Bhairahawa International Airport more affordable.