Tribhuvan International Airport (Nepali:त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल,romanized: Tribhuvan Antarrāṣṭriya Vimānasthal,IATA:KTM,ICAO:VNKT, colloquially referred to asTIA) is aninternational airport located inKathmandu,Bagmati,Nepal. It has atabletop runway,[4] a domestic terminal and an international terminal. As the country's main international airport, it connects Nepal to over 40 destinations in 17 countries.
The airport is a hub for two international airlines—the flag carrierNepal Airlines andHimalaya Airlines, along with multiple otherdomestic carriers. The airport is considered as a starting point forMount Everest international tourists, with several daily flights toLukla. Several airlines also offer Everest sightseeing flights from Kathmandu.
The airport was originally namedGauchaur Airport,[6] after the area of Kathmandu where it was situated. InNepali, "Gauchaur" refers to a place where cows graze.[7] The formal beginning of aviation in Nepal is generally placed at Gauchaur in 1949 with the landing of aBeechcraft Bonanza carrying the Indian ambassador, although there are disputed claims thatSimara Airport existed in some form as early as 1946.[8]
The first flight into Gauchaur occurred on 23 April 1949.[9][10][11]
On 20 February 1950, an Indian registeredDakota DC-3 commenced the first ever scheduled service, linking Kathmandu toPatna,Kolkata andDelhi.[13]
In 1950,King Tribhuvan took refuge at the Indian embassy in an attempt to overthrow theRana dynasty.Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, the four-year-old grandson of Tribhuvan was crowned the new king. On 10 November 1950, two Indian planes landed at Gauchaur Airport and carried the young king along with his grandfather to Delhi. After theDelhi Accord, the Rana regime ended and King Tribhuvan landed at Gauchaur Airport as themonarch on 18 February 1951, bringing a return of democracy in Nepal.[13]
On 15 June 1955, the airport was inaugurated byKing Mahendra and renamedTribhuvan Airport in memory of the king's father. The airport was again renamed to Tribhuvan International Airport in 1964.[13]
In 1957, the original 3,700 feet (1,100 m) grass runway 16/34 was re-laid in concrete. In 1964, the former runway 16/34 was abandoned for a newer 6,600 feet (2,000 m) runway 02/20. The new runway was extended from 6,600 to 10,000 feet (2,012 to 3,048 m) with the joint effort of theAsian Development Bank (ADB) and theOPEC in 1975.[12] The runway was re-strengthened in 1981.[13]
In 1961, QueenElizabeth II landed in a Dakota plane for her first visit to Nepal, one of the most high-profile arrivals at the airport.[14]
Planes from Royal Nepal Airlines at the airport in 1963
In 1985, the extension apron of runway 02/20 was overlaid. The development of the terminal building was commenced in the same year. In 1987, the construction of the Airlines Operation andControl Tower building was completed and the taxiway was overlaid. In the same year, on 11 October, Nepal witnessed the first ever landing of theConcorde.[15] In 1989, the construction of the terminal building was completed and on 18 February 1990, the newly built TIA complex was officially inaugurated byKing Birendra Bir Bikram Shah.[13]
In May 2007,Austrian Airlines discontinued its flight toVienna, Nepal's last direct air link to Europe.[17] In September 2013,Turkish Airlines launched direct flights fromIstanbul to Kathmandu, re-establishing Nepal's connection with continental Europe.[18]
International terminal
In August 2013, the airport's only runway had to be closed forwide-body aircraft because the runway, which was in disrepair, could no longer withstand their weight.[19]
In 2016, a new domestic terminal of 6300 m2 (67,813 sq. ft.) was opened, replacing the old terminal building of 2200 m2 (23,681 sq. ft.). The new facility is a temporary structure, and it cost Rs. 119.8 million to house passengers and office space for 15 local airlines.[20]
In 2020, the runway was extended to 3,350 metres (10,990 ft 10 in), the departure hall was expanded to accommodate 1500 more passengers, the arrival area was extended to a lower level and the immigration hall was facelifted.[21]
In 2022, the airport extended its domestic terminal, with the new section of the building being exclusively used byBuddha Air.[22]
The international apron at TIA can handle up to 17 aircraft, although only three can supportwide-body category aircraft. There is also a bay at the eastern side of the airport that can hold two wide-body and twoATR 72 or similar type of aircraft. The eastern bay is used solely to park disabled or non-operational airplanes. With the completion of the construction of the two apron the parking capacity has increased to 17 aircraft.[24]
Departure from Tribhuvan Airport
The aprons at the domestic terminal have been accommodating up to 35 aircraft, despite its allowable capacity of only 17.[25] The helipad at TIA can handle up to 17 helicopters.[importance?]
The airport has a single 3,350 metres (10,990 ft 10 in) runway with a slope of 1.2%[26] oriented at 02/20. There is noinstrument landing system available.[27] Thebitumen runway with the strength ofPCN 54F/A/W/T has the markings of the centerline, edge, touchdown zone and the threshold. It has a 60 meters (196 ft 10 in) Runway Strip and 240 meters (787 ft 5 in) Runway End Safety Area (RESA). The runway has five intersections with the taxiways. The taxiway G runs parallel to the runway but it does not connect the thresholds.[26]
There are twonon-precision approaches available at the Kathmandu Airport; VHF omnidirectional range along a distance measuring equipment (VOR/DME) andRequired Area Navigation (RNAV/RNP). The RNP AR approaches were designed for runways 02/20 byNavblue, to enhance the overall safety of aircraft operations by taking into account ATC constraints, aircraft energy management, and the terrain.[28] Due to mountainous terrain, VOR/DME systems are installed at Kathmandu and Bhattedanda, along the extended approach path of runway 02 for better reception by aircraft.[29] High intensity 870 m (2,854 ft 4 in) extended centerline lights are installed at the southern end of the airport to assist with the approach. The runway is equipped with high intensity centerline lights, bidirectional raised edge lights, the threshold lights and the runway end lights.Precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights (3°) are installed as landing aids for the two runways 02/20. There is however no ILS system installed in the airport due to geographic conditions and technological complexities.[30]
Passenger waiting hall inside the domestic terminal
There are two public terminals at the airport, one for international traffic and one for domestic traffic. The international terminal can handle up to 1350 departing passengers per hour, though it has been handling 2200 per hour at peak hours to suit the increasing demand of passengers.[31]
The domestic terminal is to the northern side of the airport, can be accessed using Free Shuttle Service from the airport main gate. In its temporary building, the domestic terminal has set aside 289 square metres (3,110 sq ft) for airline offices, 282 square meters (3,040 sq ft) for restaurants, and 58 square metres (620 sq ft) for lavatories. The terminal has a capacity of 765 passengers per hour.[32][importance?]
TheGovernment of Nepal's VIP Terminal, where international state guests are welcomed
A terminal for VIP guests is also operated by theGovernment of Nepal, where international state guests are welcomed. There are plans to construct a separate terminal forhelicopter transportation.[33]
Radisson Hotel Kathmandu operates an executive lounge for first and business class passengers of several airlines[34] andThai Airways operates a Royal Thai Silk lounge for its business-class passengers, as well asStar Alliance Gold card holders.[35]
There is a duty-free shop in the departure area, and tea, coffee and confectionery outlets. There are also baggage help desk, senior citizens andmother room, banking services and pre-paid taxi services to assist passengers at the terminal building.[36][importance?]
Nepal Airlines operates a large hangar between the international and domestic terminals. There are plans to upgrade and move this facility to the eastern side of the airside.[37] Buddha Air operates a closed door hangar facility, which can accommodatenarrow-body aircraft at the eastern side of the airport.[38]
Tribhuvan International Airport is located 1 km (0.6 mi) fromPashupatinath Temple and 6 km (3.7 mi) east of the city centre and main tourist areaThamel.[39] The nearest hotel is Airport Hotel, located about 200 m (0.1 mi) from the airport gate.[40]
It is in the middle of the junction of three ancient cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan. The airport is connected to major parts ofKathmandu valley by thering road.
According to the CAAN Aviation Report – 2017,[157] Tribhuvan International will undergo expansions under Transport Project Preparatory Facility funded partly by theAsian Development Bank. Major works include:[158]
Construction of a parallel taxiway system and side strip
Construction of a new international terminal building
Reconfiguration of existing international terminal building to domestic terminal building
Sajha Yatayat buses connect the airport's international terminal toKathmandu's city centre, andLalitpur's city centre.[159] Meter and prepaidtaxis are available at both terminals at all hours.[160]
On 10 May 1973, aMcDonnell Douglas DC-8 operated byThai Airways overran the runway on landing, with 100 passengers and 10 crew on board. There was one fatality.[161]
On 17 January 1995, ade Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter operating asRoyal Nepal Airlines Flight 133 from Kathmandu toRumjatar, had problems getting airborne at Tribhuvan International Airport. The aircraft struck the airfield perimeter fence and plunged into fields. Of three crew and 21 passengers on board, one crew member and one passenger were killed.[164]
On 5 September 1999, aBAe 748-501 Super 2B operating asNecon Air Flight 128 fromPokhara to Kathmandu, crashed while approaching Tribhuvan International Airport. The aircraft collided with a communication tower of Nepal Telecommunication Corporation and crashed in a wooded area 25 km west of Kathmandu. All 10 passengers and 5 crew were killed.[166]
On 26 December 1999, anAirbus A300B2-101 operating asIndian Airlines Flight 814 was hijacked en route from Kathmandu toDelhi. The aircraft ended up inKandahar, Afghanistan. Indian Airlines suspended all flights to and from Nepal for some time, fearing a lack of security at check-in.[167]
On 24 August 2010, aDornier 228 operating asAgni Air Flight 101 crashed into hills outside Kathmandu in heavy rain.[169] All on board (three crew, 11 passengers) were killed.[170] The plane, crashed nearShikharpur village, 80 km (50 mi) south of Kathmandu. The aircraft had left Tribhuvan International Airport, bound forTenzing-Hillary Airport.
On 25 September 2011, aBeechcraft 1900D operating asBuddha Air Flight 103, struck terrain while approaching Tribhuvan International Airport. There were 16 passengers and three crew members on board. Initial reports stated there was one survivor, who died en route to hospital. At the time of the crash, the weather was overcast with very low clouds and flights were operating undervisual flight rules. The aircraft was on the base leg of the approach following a sightseeing flight.[171]
On 28 September 2012, aDornier 228 operating asSita Air Flight 601, crashed soon after take-off, after apparently hitting avulture. 16 passengers and three crew members were killed.[172]
On 4 March 2015, anAirbus A330-300 operated byTurkish Airlines veered off the runway after attempting to land in dense fog. The aircraft had been circling for 30 minutes and was making its second landing attempt, after a previous aborted attempt due to poor visibility.[173] The aircraft skidded into soft grass causing the nose wheel to collapse and the airport to temporarily close to all international flights.[174] All 224 passengers and 11 crew members evacuated the aircraft safely, with one minor injury reported.[175]
On 12 March 2018, aBombardier Dash 8 Q400 operating asUS-Bangla Airlines Flight 211, carrying 67 passengers and 4 crew veered off the runway while landing then crashed on the east side of Tribhuvan International Airport before catching fire. 47 passengers and 4 crew were killed.[176]
On 19 April 2018, aBoeing 737-900ER operated byMalindo Air on a scheduled flight toKuala Lumpur International Airport Malaysia, overran the runway after a high-speedrejected takeoff. The aircraft skidded roughly 250 feet (76 meters) south of the runway end and stopped along a grassy area between two runways. All 132 passengers and 7 crew members escaped without injuries. Damage to the aircraft was minor, and the runway was closed for several hours until the plane was removed. The flight crew opted to abort the takeoff due to a warning indicated the aircraft was notcorrectly configured.[177]
On 1 September 2018, aBAe Jetstream 41 operated byYeti Airlines en route fromNepalgunj skidded off the runway, seconds after touching down. All 21 passengers and the crew of three evacuated the aircraft safely without injuries, but the aircraft was written off. Slippery runway due to rainfall was reported to be the cause of the incident.[178]
On 12 July 2019, aYeti AirlinesATR 72-500, which was flying fromNepalgunj, skidded off the runway as it landed at Tribhuvan International Airport. There were 68 people aboard, including four crew members; all of them were able to safely exit the plane, but two passengers were minorly injured.[179]
On 6 May 2022,Singapore Airlines Flight 439, aBoeing 737-800, sustained atailstrike during takeoff from runway 20.[180] The resulting incident depressurized the aircraft and forced it to divert toKolkata, India. There were no injuries among the 165 passengers and 8 crew members on board. The tailstrike occurred during the takeoff at the airport was due to over-rotation by the PF, coupled with a likely tailwind with a component of about 10 knots along the runway. The rotation pitch rate was, at times, greater than 5° per second as recorded by the FDR. The pitch angle of 11.07° recorded also exceeded the 7° – 9° normal pitch angle range.[181]
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