Majority of national as well as foreign flight carrier are currently landing all-time highest visitors to Nepal. Nepal, path to reach the top of the world and world’s most leading trek destination has attracted citizen from each corner of the globe to take a step at the Himalaya nation.
As been stated by various travel agencies and officials from Tribhuvan International Airport, the arrival of foreigners at Nepal starts escalating from the opening week of September which has been embarked as the start of both autumn and traveling season.
Similarly at the other hand country’s most anticipated festival celebrated with joy and family fall on the same occasion. Almost 3\4 population live across the urbanized city areas living apart from their beloved land for earning bread and better opportunity, so they travel back to their family to celebrate the festive occasion.
Since the major territory of the nation is covered with extreme mountainous landscape locals are compelled to travel back to their family and loved once via aircraft due to unfavorable road conditions.
This causes individuals to come across the capital located airport to travel back to their places. Thus it increases the travelers’ density at capital situated solo TIA airport which holds both domestic and international terminal section.
At one hand the airport is occupied with maximum traveler both domestic and international and on the other hand, the service and more authentically the infrastructure of the country’s sole international airport is degrading in a yearly basis.
Increasing density of passengers has increased prospectus of the business market for the aircraft operators which as a result encourage them to add up additional modern aircraft to grab maximum passengers and create maximum revenue. Thus the sky beneath is pack with the increasing number aircraft operation.
Hence going through the current situation at TIA, the scenario created by the dense crowd of internal as well as international travelers justifies the poor and outdated infrastructure of the only international airport which unfortunately also holds the busiest domestic airport section.
Introduction of additional aircraft in flight operation is the all-time high for the domestic operator which indeed to have caused the air traffic most saturated in the history of aviation here in Nepal.
According to Prem Nath Thakur, Spokesperson for TIA, at present scenario of Nepali aviation flight operation of both domestic and international is at a peak level but the TIA which the only route for conducting both domestic and international flight is holding crowd and aircraft beyond its capacity.
At present entire domestic flight connecting through TIA is being delayed up to two hours duration normally caused by busy air traffic and insufficient runway and parking bays however the condition last year was worst, Thakur added.
Similarly, Rajendra Sharma, spokesperson for Yeti Airlines mentioned that the passengers traveling with the airlines too have been affected by the delays.
However airport officials at TIA are working hard to cause no any delay for Kathmandu connecting international flights, Mr. Thakur reported.
CAAN and Tourism Ministry analyzing the situation has come up with a plan to add up 13 parking bays at the airport by 2020 to lease the rush. Three out thirteen bays are expected to be constructed by end of this year.
Prem Nath Thakur also added that Chinese contractors at Gautam Buddha International Airport to have increased the pace of construction which is ideal to lease the density of international flight for TIA. Pokhara International Airport too can put some relief but the date of project completion is the matter of concern.
Upgrading TIA may release some trouble but the construction of an additional international airport to transfer the flights is the actual solution for CAAN and aviation industry of the country, said Thakur.
