Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) will reduce its daily night closure duration to 8 hours starting from the last week of January. The airport, which has been closed for 10 hours for night-time upgrade since November 8, will implement the new schedule from January 23, operating from 7 AM to 11 PM, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).

The ongoing closures have significantly disrupted domestic and international flights, resulting in a 30% drop in flights operated by international airlines. Ticket prices for outbound international flights have also surged. In response, some airlines have shifted operations to Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA).

The night closures have been enforced to facilitate infrastructure upgrades, including the construction of parallel taxiways, international aprons, and hangar. CAAN spokesperson Hansraj Pandey explained that the revised operational schedule will come into effect after 42 days on January 23. "After January, the fog decreases, and the number of flights rises during winter," Pandey said. "We have adjusted the closure time accordingly, shifting the morning closure forward by 1 hour and the evening closure back by 1 hour."

Earlier, TIA used to operate for 18 hours daily, from 6 AM till midnight. Later, the operational hours were extended to 21 hours, from 6 AM to 3 AM. But the airport has been closed for ten hours a day since early November due to the upgrade. Once the upgrade is complete, the airport will resume its pre-closure schedule.

Meanwhile, GBIA, serving as an alternative hub for international flights, has witnessed increased activity. Between November 3 and December 3, it handled 5,467 passengers through 156 flights, including those by Qatar Airways, Jazeera Airways, Fly Dubai, Thai AirAsia, Nepal Airlines, and chartered flights. Both regular and chartered flights have contributed equally to passenger traffic during this period.