Even as airlines, domestic or international, operating their flights in or out of the capital have been on the rise recently, the existing flight schedules have left Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) — the only international airport in the country — in a disorganised state. The reasons often given for this are the clash of flight schedules and the undersized airport that can hold only a very limited number of planes at a time. As a result, some aircraft are forced to air-hold their flying machines for over 25 minutes, while others take off. Moreover, TIA only has one runway for both the domestic and international flights to take off and land simultaneously. Not to mention the unavailability of basic amenities like toilet, telephone and cabs that are indispensable to an international airport.

As per international standards, an international airport, apart from the availability of basic amenities, should have the capacity for at least two flights to take off and land at the same time. For the moment, the government should immediately shuffle flight schedules to minimise flight congestion at TIA. In addition, civil aviation authorities need to improve the services and amenities available at the airport so that it meets international standards. But to solve the problem permanently, which TIA does not seem to be in position to do, there is no better solution than kick-start the long deferred construction of an alternative international airport elsewhere.