KATHMANDU, Jan 29: Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), which had been closed due to adverse weather conditions, resumed operations after about three and a half hours on Thursday as visibility improved.
The airport had remained shut since around 7:30 after flights were unable to operate due to poor visibility. Flight operations resumed from 11 am, airport authorities said.
According to the TIA administration, visibility improved to 1,700 metres, allowing flights to resume under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). Airport officials said operations had been suspended earlier in the morning because visibility had dropped significantly, but improved conditions later in the day made it possible to restart arrivals and departures by applying IFR procedures.
Visibility in Kathmandu drops to 100 meters: Flights halted at...
Officials said visibility at the Kathmandu airport had been low since around 1 am. As per aviation regulations, IFR is applied when visibility falls below 5,000 metres, while large aircraft generally require visibility of more than 2,200 metres to operate.
The airport has advised passengers to contact their respective airlines before heading to the airport due to possible delays or changes in flight schedules.
Authorities said that while airports in Chandragadhi, Pokhara, Simara and Surkhet have resumed operations, some other domestic airports are still unable to operate due to weather conditions.
Due to the morning closure at TIA, several international flights were diverted. A Jazeera Airways flight from Kuwait, an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah and a Flydubai flight from Dubai were diverted to other airports, officials said.
