Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu will be closed for approximately 10 hours daily over the next five months starting Friday.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the closure is necessary for airport upgrades and expansion work. CAAN is building a parallel taxiway and expanding the international apron and hangar apron under the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project.
The estimated cost of the project is Rs 15 billion.
During the period, all flights between 10 pm and 8 am will be cut. The airport had been operating from 6 am to 2 am.
Project Chief Dipendra Shrestha explained that they are constructing a taxiway parallel to the runway. “Flights have been cut so that aviation safety is not compromised,” he said.
TIA is the country’s oldest international airport. The Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa and Pokhara International Airport in Pokhara started operation in the past two years.
TIA has undergone multiple renovations and capacity enhancements in recent years. In 2018, the runway was extended to 3,300 meters. During that renovation, flights were suspended for 12 hours daily from 6 pm to 6 am. The runway was extended on the southern side – the Koteshwar end or the Runway 02.
In 2016, the airport was closed for 10 hours daily over nearly four months for complete runway resurfacing. During that maintenance period, both domestic and international flights were reduced by approximately 30%.
The airport currently serves 19 airlines including eleven helicopter companies for domestic operations, and thirty airlines including three Nepali carriers for international operations.
TIA typically handles over 300 daily domestic flights and approximately 100 international flights.
(Translated from RSS)
