Bad weather affects flights

KATHMANDU: Flights across the country were disrupted on Thursday due to adverse weather conditions, with both domestic and international air services affected at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

According to TIA spokesperson Rinji Sherpa, poor weather and unfavorable “en-route weather” forced the diversion of several domestic flights, while operations at Bharatpur and Tumlingtar airports were suspended.

Flights bound for Pokhara were also affected — arrivals were halted, though departures continued. Sherpa said a Shree Airlines flight from Biratnagar to Kathmandu was diverted back, while another flight of the same airline from Bhairahawa to Kathmandu was redirected to Bhairahawa.

On the international front, Sherpa said a Nepal Airlines flight bound for Kathmandu was diverted to New Delhi, while an IndiGo Airlines aircraft was also rerouted to the Indian capital. Similarly, an Air India flight was diverted to Lucknow.

Visibility at Tribhuvan International Airport was reported at around 2,500 meters as of Thursday afternoon. Officials said poor en-route weather had particularly affected domestic air services.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology reported that Cyclone Montha — which had developed over the Bay of Bengal — entered India’s Andhra Pradesh coast on Tuesday. The system has since weakened, moving north-northwestward toward central Nepal as a low-pressure zone before shifting eastward.

The division said the weather system is expected to affect Bagmati, Madhesh and Koshi provinces until Friday.