TIA runway develops cracks

KATHMANDU: At a time when the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has planned to operate the Tribhuvan International Airport 21 hours a day, pathetic runway conditions and sub-standard maintenance have come back to haunt the country’s sole international airport once again.

A few flights have been affected due to a closure of the only runway at TIA on Saturday afternoon, according to officials.

A TIA official confirmed that the runway was closed at around 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm after it developed a number of cracks. “Airport was closed for over half an hour affecting a few incoming and outbound flights,” he added.

According to him, the runway 02 developed cracks between Charlie and Delta markings. The runway had also witnessed cracks near the southern end between Delta and Echo markings on Friday, he added.

“TIA has been witnessing cracks on a regular basis in the recent days,” another official shared. The authority has already announced that it would operate the TIA for 21 hours daily from May 21.