KATHMANDU, Oct 21: After 73 years of its establishment, the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is currently operating at full capacity for the first time. The airport has experienced a surge in air traffic, both domestically and internationally, coinciding with the Dashain festival and the peak tourist season.

TIA officials have reported that the airport is now handling the highest number of international flights in recent days. Typically, the airport witnesses around 90 two-way international flights daily; however, in the past few days, this number has increased to between 110 and 113 daily two-way flights and landings.

According to the general manager of the TIA, Pratap Babu Tiwari, 16,000 to 17,000 air passengers are traveling through air flights daily from Ghatasthapana on Dashain. According to him, there were 113 international flights on October 16, which is the highest number of flights in a single day. On October 17, 110 and from October 18 to October 20, more than 110 international flights took place daily.

“This is the highest number of flights in the history of the airport. Festivals and tourist seasons are also increasing international and domestic flight traffic,” said TIA General Manager Tiwari. He said that there is a demand for more flights for the "winter season" for international flights. At the TIA, 30 airlines, including three Nepalis airlines, are operating international flights. 

According to TIA officials, about 14,000 passengers are taking service through 3,270 daily two-way domestic flights. General Manager Tiwari said that there are about 500 domestic and international flights at the airport. He said, “About 500 flights per day is very high, since the establishment of the airport, more flights and passenger traffic are taking place.”

It is said that more than 15,000 people traveled domestically on Wednesday, October 18. On that day Buddha Air alone served 8,900 passengers. On that day, Yeti Airlines served 2,651 passengers, Shree Airlines served 1,839 passengers and Saurya Airlines served 340 passengers.

Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grappling with high demand for its domestic flights but faces limitations due to having only two TwinOtter aircraft. Consequently, the corporation can only operate a limited number of flights to remote regions in the country.

According to Ramesh Paudel, the NAC's spokesperson, the corporation is currently running 22 domestic flights daily, serving 16 different destinations in the country.

According to the information officer of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), Gyanendra Bhul, the TIA has the capacity to manage 1,500 international passengers per hour and 500 domestic passengers per hour.

In 2018, the TIA, with a total capacity of 9.2 million passengers, served 7.2 million air passengers. The airport has been witnessing a consistent increase in both air flights and passenger traffic following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 
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