Tribhuvan International Airport (
Nepali: त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल) (
IATA: KTM,
ICAO: VNKT, colloquially referred to as TIA) is an
international airport located in
Kathmandu,
Bagmati,
Nepal. It has a
tabletop runway,[4] a domestic terminal and an international terminal. As the country's main international airport, it connects Nepal to over 40 destinations in 17 countries.
The airport is a hub for two international airlines, the flag carrier
Nepal Airlines and
Himalaya Airlines, along with multiple
domestic carriers. The airport is considered as a starting point for
Mount Everest international tourists, with several daily flights to
Lukla. Several airlines also offer Everest sightseeing flights from Kathmandu.
The airport was originally named Gauchaur Airport, after the area of Kathmandu where it was situated. In
Nepali, "Gauchaur" refers to a place where cows graze.[6] The formal beginning of aviation in Nepal occurred in 1949, with the landing of a
Beechcraft Bonanza carrying the Indian ambassador. However, there are claims that there is evidence that
Simara Airport existed in some form as early as 1946 and would therefore be the oldest airport in Nepal; this is, however, disputed.[7]
The first flight into Gauchaur happened on 23 April 1949.[8][9][10]
On 20 February 1950, an Indian registered
Dakota DC-3 commenced the first ever scheduled service, linking Kathmandu to
Patna,
Kolkata and
Delhi.[12]
In 1950,
King Tribhuvan took refuge at the Indian embassy in an attempt to overthrow the
Rana dynasty.
Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, the four-year-old grandson of Tribhuvan was crowned the new king. On 10 November 1950, two Indian planes landed at Gauchaur Airport and carried the young king along with his grandfather to Delhi. After the
Delhi Accord, the Rana regime ended and King Tribhuvan landed at Gauchaur Airport as the
monarch on 18 February 1951, bringing waves of democracy in Nepal.[12]
On 15 June 1955, the airport was inaugurated by
King Mahendra and renamed Tribhuvan Airport in memory of the king's father. The airport was again renamed to Tribhuvan International Airport in 1964.[12]
In 1957, the original 3,700 feet (1,100 m) grass runway 16/34 was re-laid in concrete. In 1964, the former runway 16/34 was abandoned for a newer 6,600 feet (2,000 m) runway 02/20. The new runway was extended from 6,600 to 10,000 feet (2,012 to 3,048 m) with the joint effort of the
Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the
OPEC in 1975.[11] The runway was re-strengthened in 1981.[12]
In 1961, Queen
Elizabeth II landed in a Dakota plane for her first visit to Nepal, one of the most high-profile arrivals at the airport.[13]
In 1985, the extension apron of runway 02/20 was overlaid.[importance?] Similarly, the development of the terminal building was commenced in the same year. In 1987, the construction of the Airlines Operation and
Control Tower building was completed and the taxiway was overlaid. In the same year, on 11 October, Nepal witnessed the first ever landing of the
Concorde.[14] In 1989, the construction of the terminal building was completed and on 18 February 1990, the newly built TIA complex was officially inaugurated by
King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah.[12]
In May 2007,
Austrian Airlines discontinued its flight to
Vienna, Nepal's last direct air link to Europe.[16] In September 2013,
Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from
Istanbul to Kathmandu, re-establishing Nepal's connection with continental Europe.[17]
In August 2013, the airport's only runway had to be closed for
wide-body aircraft because the runway, which was in disrepair, could no longer withstand their weight.[18]
In 2016, a new domestic terminal of 6300 m2 (67,813 sq. ft.) was opened, replacing the old terminal building of 2200 m2 (23,681 sq. ft.). The new facility is a temporary structure, and it cost Rs. 119.8 million to house passengers and office space for 15 local airlines.[19]
In 2020, the runway was extended to 3,350 metres (10,990 ft 10 in), the departure hall was expanded to accommodate 1500 more passengers, the arrival area was extended to a lower level and the immigration hall was facelifted.[20]
In 2022, the airport extended its domestic terminal, with the new section of the building being exclusively used by
Buddha Air.[21]
Facilities
Apron
The international apron at TIA can handle up to 17 aircraft, although only three can support
wide-body category aircraft. There is also a bay at the eastern side of the airport that can hold two wide-body and two
ATR 72 or similar type of aircraft. The eastern bay is used solely to park disabled or non-operational airplanes. With the completion of the construction of the two apron the parking capacity has increased to 17 aircraft.[22]
The aprons at the domestic terminal have been accommodating up to 35 aircraft, despite its allowable capacity of only 17.[23] The helipad at TIA can handle
up to 17 helicopters.[importance?]
Runway
The airport has a single 3,350 metres (10,990 ft 10 in) runway with a slope of 1.2%[24] oriented at 02/20. There is no
instrument landing system available.[25] The
bitumen runway with the strength of
PCN 54F/A/W/T has the markings of the centerline, edge, touchdown zone and the threshold. It has a 60 meters (196 ft 10 in) Runway Strip and 240 meters (787 ft 5 in) Runway End Safety Area (RESA). The runway has five intersections with the taxiways. The taxiway G runs parallel to the runway but it doesn't connect the thresholds.[24]
Aids to Landing and Navigation
There are two
non-precision approach available at the Kathmandu Airport; VHF omnidirectional range along a distance measuring equipment (
VOR/DME) and
Required Area Navigation (RNAV/RNP). Due to mountainous terrain VOR/DME system are installed at Kathmandu and Bhattedanda for a better communication.[26] A high intensity 870 metres (2,854 ft 4 in) extended centerline lights are installed at the southern end of the airport to assist with the approach. The runway is equipped with high intensity centerline lights, bidirectional raised edge lights, the threshold lights and the runway end lights.
Precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights (3°) are installed as landing aids for the two runways 02/20. There is however no ILS system installed in the airport.[27]
Terminals
There are two public terminals at the airport, one for international traffic and one for domestic traffic. The international terminal can handle up to 1350 departing passengers per hour, though it has been handling 2200 per hour at peak hours to suit the increasing demand of passengers.[28]
A terminal for VIP guests is also operated by the
Government of Nepal, where international state guests are welcomed. There are plans to construct a separate terminal for
helicopter transportation.[29]
Radisson Hotel Kathmandu operates an executive lounge for first and business class passengers of several airlines[30] and
Thai Airways operates a Royal Thai Silk lounge for its business-class passengers, as well as
Star Alliance Gold card holders.[31]
There is a duty-free shop in the departure area, and tea, coffee and confectionery outlets. There are also baggage help desk, senior citizens and
mother room, banking services and pre-paid taxi services to assist passengers at the terminal building.[32][importance?]
The domestic terminal is to the northern side of the airport, can be accessed using Free Shuttle Service from the airport main gate. In its temporary building, the domestic terminal has set aside 289 square metres (3,110 sq ft) for airline offices, 282 square meters (3,040 sq ft) for restaurants, and 58 square metres (620 sq ft) for lavatories. The terminal has a capacity of 765 passengers per hour.[33][importance?]
Aircraft maintenance
Nepal Airlines operates a large hangar between the international and domestic terminals. There are plans to upgrade and move this facility to the eastern side of the airside.[34] Buddha Air operates a closed door hangar facility, which can accommodate
narrow-body aircraft at the eastern side of the airport.[35]
Location and access
Tribhuvan International Airport is located 1 km (0.6 mi) from
Pashupatinath Temple and 6 km (3.7 mi) east of the city centre and main tourist area
Thamel.[36] The nearest hotel is Airport Hotel located about 200 m (0.1 mi) from the airport gate.[37]
It is in the middle of the junction of three ancient cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. The airport is connected to major parts of
Kathmandu valley by the
ring road.
Relocation of
Nepal Army infrastructure, hangar and other associated work
Ground transportation
Sajha Yatayat buses connect the airport's international terminal to
Kathmandu's city centre, and
Lalitpur's city centre.[143] Buses from other local companies stop in front of the airport's main gate, 500 metres in front of the terminal buildings.[144] Meter and prepaid
taxis are available at both terminals at all hours.[145]
Incidents and accidents
On 10 May 1973, a
Douglas DC-8 operated by
Thai Airways overran the runway on landing with 100 of passengers and 10 crew on board, there was one fatality.[146]
On 17 January 1995, a
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter operating as
Royal Nepal Airlines Flight 133 from Kathmandu to
Rumjatar, had problems getting airborne at Tribhuvan International Airport. The aircraft struck the airfield perimeter fence and plunged into fields. Of three crew and 21 passengers on board, one crew member and one passenger were killed.[149]
On 5 September 1999, a
BAe 748-501 Super 2B operating as
Necon Air Flight 128 from
Pokhara to Kathmandu, crashed while approaching Tribhuvan International Airport. The aircraft collided with a communication tower of Nepal Telecommunication Corporation and crashed in a wooded area 25 km west of Kathmandu. All 10 passengers and 5 crew were killed.[151]
On 26 December 1999, an
Airbus A300B2-101 operating as
Indian Airlines Flight 814 was hijacked en route from Kathmandu to
Delhi. The aircraft ended up in
Kandahar, Afghanistan. Indian Airlines suspended all flights to and from Nepal for some time, fearing a lack of security at check-in.[152]
On 24 August 2010, a
Dornier 228 operating as
Agni Air Flight 101 crashed into hills outside Kathmandu in heavy rain.[154] All on board (3 crew, 11 passengers) were killed.[155] The plane, crashed near
Shikharpur village, 80 km (50 mi) south of Kathmandu. The aircraft had left Tribhuvan International Airport, bound for
Tenzing-Hillary Airport.
On 25 September 2011, a
Beechcraft 1900D operating as
Buddha Air Flight 103, struck terrain while approaching Tribhuvan International Airport. There were 16 passengers and three crew members on board. Initial reports stated there was one survivor, who died en route to hospital. At the time of the crash, the weather was overcast with very low clouds and flights were operating under
visual flight rules. The aircraft was on the base leg of the approach following a sightseeing flight.[156]
On 28 September 2012, a
Dornier 228 operating as
Sita Air Flight 601, crashed soon after take-off, after apparently hitting a
vulture. Sixteen passengers and three crew members were killed.[157]
On 4 March 2015, an
Airbus A330-300 operated by
Turkish Airlines veered off the runway after attempting to land in dense fog. The aircraft had been circling for 30 minutes and was making its second landing attempt, after a previous aborted attempt due to poor visibility.[158] The aircraft skidded into soft grass causing the nose wheel to collapse and the airport to temporarily close to all international flights.[159] All 227 passengers and 11 crew members evacuated the aircraft safely.[160]
On 12 March 2018, a
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 operating as
US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211, carrying 67 passengers and 4 crew veered off the runway while landing then crashed on the east side of Tribhuvan International Airport before catching fire. 47 passengers and 4 crew were killed.[161]
On 19 April 2018, a
Boeing 737-900ER operated by
Malindo Air on a scheduled flight to
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia overran the runway after a high-speed
rejected takeoff. The aircraft skidded roughly 250 feet (76 meters) south of the runway end and stopped along a grassy area between two runways. All 132 passengers and seven crew members escaped without injury. Damage to the aircraft was minor, and the airport was closed for 12 hours until it was removed. The flight crew opted to abort the takeoff due to a warning indicated the aircraft was not
correctly configured.[162]
On 1 September 2018, a
BAe Jetstream 41 operated by
Yeti Airlines en route from
Nepalgunj skidded off the runway, seconds after touching down. All 21 passengers and the crew of 3, evacuated the aircraft safely without injuries but the aircraft was written off. Slippery runway due to rainfall was reported to be the cause of the incident.[163]
On 12 July 2019, a
Yeti AirlinesATR 72-500, which was flying from
Nepalgunj, skidded off the runway as it landed at Tribhuvan International Airport. There were 68 people aboard, including four crew members; all of them were able to safely exit the plane, but two passengers sustained minor injuries.[164]
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Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2022.