Air Travel Soars: Kathmandu Airport Breaks Flight Records Amid Road Blockages

Domestic Flights in Nepal are operating like never before, up to 20 hours a day with full occupancy. Starting from 5:30 AM in the morning, the ATRs and Dash-8 are flying till 2-3AM in the morning. Such a hectic domestic flights were never seen in Nepal’s aviation history before. A big thanks to all the aviators and airlines staff for making this possible.

Air passenger traffic has surged after roads leading in and out of the capital, Kathmandu, were blocked by landslides caused by continuous rains on October 11th and 12th. The main road to Kathmandu is currently obstructed at various points, leading to a sharp rise in air travel over the past three days. 

A new record for flights was set at the country’s busiest airport, Tribhuvan International Airport, with 559 flights taking place on Monday. Airport spokesperson Rinji Sherpa reported that the total included both domestic and international flights. Specifically, there were 227 departures and 221 arrivals for domestic flights, including helicopters. 

For international flights, 56 landings and 55 departures were recorded. Sherpa noted that this may be the highest number of flights in a single day at the airport. The increase in flight numbers has led to significant pressure on operations. A similar surge was last seen during the Dashain festival last year. On average, the airport handles around 500 daily flights, including 113 to 115 international flights, with about 14,000 passengers flying on 270 domestic flights daily. 

For today, 169 domestic arrivals and 169 departures are scheduled, alongside 58 international departures and 57 arrivals. Helicopter rescue flights are also expected to play a significant role. 

Although the road partially reopened after the rains, travel remains extremely difficult. In this situation, air travel has become the primary mode of transportation. However, the sudden increase in passengers has caused congestion at the airport, with crowds seen daily. On Sunday and Monday, a large number of passengers were observed waiting at the domestic terminal.