The country’s only international airport has served 38, 87,800 international passengers in the year 2017. At present, a total of 31 airline operators including 28 international airline companies operate international flights at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
As per the statistics of TIA, the number of international passengers in the year 2017 has exceeded the figures in the year 2016 by 3, 77,000. The flow of international passengers was 35, 10,000 in 2016.
Among the 38 lakhs passengers who were served by TIA in 2017, 10 lakhs are the foreign passengers.
The statistics shows that the maximum flow of international passengers took place in November, 2017 in which 3, 84,800 passengers used the airport whereas the minimum flow of 2, 62,700 passengers was observed in June, 2017.
Likewise, the international flight frequency has also increased as it was only 27,118 flights recorded in 2016 whereas it escalated to 33,362 in 2017. On the other hand, the domestic flight frequency increased to 93,017 within the span of two years.
TIA has recorded a maximum of 510 flights in a day including 300 domestic flights which is phenomenal. 23, 88,583 passengers travelled within the country in the year 2017 whereas in 2016, the number of domestic passengers was 17, 57,596.
As per the data of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), there are 49 airports in Nepal out of which 19 domestic airports are out of operation. 7 of the domestic airport are under the construction phase.
Nepal has established air service agreement with 38 countries around the world however, only 28 airlines from 14 different countries connect Nepal to the international platform. Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), Himalaya Airlines and Buddha Air are the carriers of Nepal who conduct international flights.
With these increasing flight frequencies and number of passengers, TIA is facing harsh time due to its limited airport infrastructure and capacity. The airport is desperately in need of capacity enhancement and support from the alternative airports.
