Currently the country’s only international airport, TIA, is encountering different circumstances such as increasing air traffic, lack of proper management and facilities, unmanaged infrastructures and many more. TIA is also facing the problem of insufficient parking space due to the fact that the domestic airlines are expanding their fleet capacity in a rapid pace. Parking space for fixed wing aircraft will not be sufficient now on. The cracks in the parking bay have further degraded the quality of the airport.
TIA has earned a reputation as one of the worst airports in the world based on comfort, service, facility, security and cleanliness.
According to our source, the domestic apron where lots of domestic flight carriers park their aircraft is seen damaged at the various points which have been threatening safety.
The TIA has apron capacity (area where aircrafts are parked, boarded, loaded and unloaded and refueled) for nine international aircraft and seventeen domestic aircraft. However, there is also a steady increase in the number of aircraft operating in the domestic sector. The rising problem of insufficient parking space is pressuring the airport. Currently, there are 11 domestic airline operators operating with minimum of two aircraft on their fleet. TIA is facing pressure to handle the harsh parking situation due to which repeated crack and spoil of the apron is being encountered.
The aircraft are parked beyond the ramp capacity of the airport compromising the safety.
The airport had also constructed temporary parking bay near the helipad which could accommodate two domestic aircraft few months ago but now the temporary bay has also been deteriorated with cracks and scattering of pebbles all around it.
Few weeks ago, Buddha Air wing was collided with ground equipment causing minor injury on its ATR aircraft. Similarly, Yeti Airlines Jetstream-41 and Nepal Army BN-2 Islander aircraft collided at Tribhuvan International Airport due to aircraft congestion at the ramp.
To cope with the increasing air traffic and insufficient parking bay, the airport authority must take a serious concern towards the issue and act accordingly as soon as possible to enhance the quality of apron so that aviation incidents can be minimized.
