KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 7

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is slated to close for 10 hours daily from November 8, as part of its runway and infrastructure upgrade.

The closure, from 10:00pm to 8:00am, comes during the peak tourist season, sparking concerns among tourism entrepreneurs. They argue the move will negatively impact the industry, which is still recovering from the COVID pandemic, with higher airfares and potential flight delays causing chaos for international tourists.

'The closure will drive up airfares due to increased demand and reduced supply during peak season,' said Kumarmani Thapaliya, chairperson of the Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents (NATTA). He highlighted that last-minute ticket buyers would face significant price hikes, with fares on routes such as Kathmandu-Lhasa potentially rising from $500 to $1,500, making it unaffordable for many tourists.

Thapaliya also noted that airlines, like Qatar Airways, which are currently selling tickets as per the existing schedule, would need to adjust return flights as the new winter schedule is introduced, causing further disruption.

Suresh Singh Budal, chief executive of PATA Nepal Chapter, echoed similar concerns, warning that the reduced number of flights would lead to even higher airfares.

'Air tickets to and from Nepal are already expensive, and this will make them even costlier, affecting tourism and the Nepali diaspora travelling home for Dashain and Tihar,' he said.

However, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Information Officer, Gyanendra Bhul, defended the move stating that the airlines were notified about the impending changes four months in advance so that they had ample time to adjust their operations.

The new winter schedule, starting from October 27, will see a 30 to 50 per cent reduction in international flights at TIA, which will operate for only 14 hours daily instead of 21 hours at present.

'The capacity of TIA with IFR (instrument flight rules) flights is eight per hour. Flights for international airlines with more than two per day have been reduced by 50 per cent. For airlines with up to two flights per day, the number has been slashed by 30 per cent, while flights below this threshold remain unchanged,' Bhul said.

'TIA has been operating 21 hours daily, but under the new schedule, it will reduce to 14 hours. Due to high traffic, international flights are often held up in the air for at least an hour, making it impractical to adjust schedules without extended delays.'

To ease air traffic at TIA, CAAN has urged airlines to shift some flights to Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) and Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA), though airlines have cited business concerns for not doing so. Despite the opening of GBIA in May 2022 and PRIA in January 2023, only a few airlines have operated there, with limited success.

Tourism entrepreneurs have called on the government to reconsider the closure during the peak season.

Thapaliya suggested delaying the shutdown by 15 days or prioritising international tourists at TIA while shifting domestic passengers to GBIA and PRIA.

Budal added that CAAN should manage the night schedule better, potentially closing the airport from midnight to 9:00am when winter fog impacts flights.

Despite these concerns, Bhul asserted that the contract for TIA's upgrade is already in place, and delaying the project would incur penalties.