Sole international airport of Nepal Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is set to be shut down for 10 hours daily from April 1, 2019 (Chaitra 18) for accommodating the runway extension project.
Travel Agencies have notified its clients who have booked ticket beyond the date to be updated and get notified continuously with the agencies to get updated to revised time of bookings.
The airport will remain close from 10 pm to 8 am in the morning halting all the flight operations and most of the flight schedule are expected to be rescheduled and changed to cope with the changing time.
Discussion is going on regarding how to manage night flight schedule and is expected to be shifted thus travel agencies have alerted to be updated with upcoming schedule and make inquiry to travel agencies to those who have booked fights beyond April 1 before.
The runway of TIA constructed in 1975, is going to be upgraded for the first time. Since, the runway is going to be renovated, the airline companies are fully coordinating about the airport to be close for 10 hours daily.
Airport officials have been discussing about managing both international and domestic flight and if the flight numbers have to decrease in order to manage the flight then the airport officials will prepare the flight schedules looking at the daily and weekly flight arc of the airlines.
China National Aero Technology International Engineering Corporation, Chinese Company held a charge of the runway rehabilitation project of TIA. The agreement was signed on November 5, 2018.
For the agreement with the Chinese construction company, NRs. 3.75 billion is going to be signed for the runway and taxiway rehabilitation project, Director General of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Sanjeev Gautam said.
Tourism Ministry has directed the project to complete the rehabilitation of runway as soon as possible. After upgrading TIA -the dignity of the nation will help in upgrading the arc of the airport and improve the quality of services.
In the first phase, the company needs to blacktop the runway of 3000m. The renovation work will be conducted for 10 hours a day in 80m with use of milling machine at night. During the rehabilitation, TIA will be closed for 10 hours a day. After completing the runway work, the work of parking bay will also be started.
