Air services in Tumlingtar Airport had been disrupted after the 10th of Baishakh, due to the dense haze covering the runway. More than 65 passengers have been stranded daily at the airport due to the lack of flights.
After the fog and haze covering the runway probably due to the increased pollution level in the country, flights had been halted for totally for 2 weeks. According to Buddhi Air private airlines have been unable to operate flights to Tumlingtar due to adverse weather conditions.
According to him, flights have been canceled more than 50 times this season. When flights do not resume at Tumlingtar Airport, more than 65 passengers are likely to be stranded daily. After the flight disruption, passengers from Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, and Dhankuta have been affected.
Tumlingtar Airport is one of the airports with the highest number of passengers in mountainous and Himalayan districts.
A visibility of at least five kilometers is necessary for flights to operate, but currently, there is only one kilometer of visibility, as informed by the Civil Aviation Authority. Buddha Air’s ATR-72 was operating daily flights to Tumlingtar Airport.
With the improvement of the runway, last year Buddha Air had started daily flights with an ATR 72 aircraft. The crowd of passengers here is due to the fifth highest mountain in the world, Makalu, the Arun III hydropower project, and short-distance flights for tourists.
