Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will be closed for 10 hours daily, starting today (November 8), to undergo extensive upgrades expected to last about five months. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) announced that the airport will close each night from 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. to allow for these improvements.

The air transport capacity enhancement project under CAAN will expand the parallel taxiway on the airport’s southwest side, the international apron on the north side, and the hangar apron on the east side. The project has a budget of Rs 15 billion, dedicated to these upgrades. Currently, TIA operates from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., but flights will now be adjusted to fit within the new schedule.

Project head Dipendra Shrestha stated that the closure is essential to ensure flight safety during construction. Nepal currently has three operational international airports—TIA, Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa, and Pokhara Regional International Airport. Since its establishment 74 years ago, TIA, Nepal's oldest international airport, has undergone multiple renovations and expansions to increase capacity.

In 2020, TIA’s runway was extended to 3,300 meters, requiring a 12-hour daily closure from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Similarly, in 2018, the airport was closed for 10 hours daily for four months to repair the runway, which affected around 30 percent of domestic and international flights.

Currently, Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) facilitates around 300 domestic flights and approximately 100 international flights daily. TIA serves 30 airlines in total, including 19 helicopter companies and 11 fixed-wing air service providers. Of these, three airlines are Nepali-owned.

This new phase of renovations aims to improve TIA’s infrastructure and streamline air travel for years to come. -- RSS