KATHMANDU, April 7: All domestic air services have been affected due to dust and smoke in the skies across the country, including in Kathmandu.
Flights to and from Tribhuvan International Airport have been affected due to reduced visibility. Dozens of flights have been canceled since Friday. Two international and dozens of domestic flights were canceled on Tuesday alone.
Smog to stay for some more days in Kathmandu Valley
According to the TIA office, the UN mission from Afghanistan and a Biman Bangladesh flight from Dhaka could not come to Nepal due to low visibility. According to the office, the plane that needed more visibility could not come as the visibility dropped to 1600 meters on Tuesday. The aircraft of Bangladesh is said to require 3200 meters of visibility. There were 20 scheduled international flights from Nepal and the same number of landings at TIA on Tuesday alone.
A total of 88 domestic flights to and from TIA took place on Tuesday. Due to the smog, 30 domestic flights were canceled. According to a source, flights could not be operated in Pokhara, Tumlingtar, Bharatpur and Lukla. According to the airport office, 39 domestic flights were canceled on Monday.
On Tuesday, 15 flights of Buddha Air, 6 flights of Yeti Airlines and one flight of Tara Air were canceled. According to TIA, 8,687 people took the skies on Tuesday. Flights of Nepal Airlines from Kathmandu to Dang, Bhojpur, Rumjatar and Taplejung were canceled. Similarly, 15 flights of Buddha Air to and from destinations like Pokhara, Bhairahawa and Tumlingtar and nine flights of Yeti Airlines to the same destinations were canceled.
As many as 42 domestic flights were canceled on Sunday as the sky was blanketed with smog. On Saturday, 42 flights were canceled. Around 150 daily departures and landings from Tribhuvan International Airport are being administered.
