Flights delayed as ‘TIA closes runway for maintenance’
KATHMANDU: Several flights have been delayed due to a closure of the only runway at Tribhuvan International Airport on Saturday afternoon.
According to a highly-placed source at the TIA, the runway was ‘unofficially’ closed twice at around 2:30pm and 3:40pm today to carry out maintenance works after cracks and potholes surfaced on the runway-02 received .
The TIA’s move to carry out pavement maintenance comes just two days after THT Online disclosed the pathetic state of the only runway that witnessed surface unevenness and unremoved rubber deposits at its threshold for long.
A few flights including those of the Nepal Airlines and the Jet Airways were delayed for nearly an hour due to ‘unavailability’ of the runway for take-off as the teams decided to inspect the runway at around 2:30pm, a senior TIA officer told THT Online.
As the maintenance began at 3:40 pm, at least four more international and eight domestic flights were waiting for departure.
“The maintenance may take 15-20 minutes and the flight operation will be normal,” he said.
