TIA to be closed for 10 hours a day for runway upgrading

Kathmandu, March 31. The Tribhuvan International Airport, only international airport of the country, is being closed for 10 hours every day from Monday night for the upgrading of runway.

The TIA currently operative for 22 hours a day will be shut down for 10 hours for three months- from April 1 to June 30, 2019. With the new time arrangement, the TIA operates from 8:00 am to 10:00pm every day.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has informed that it is the first time in history that runway is being upgraded at TIA after its establishment. It takes three months to wipe out the old blacktopping and put the new one on the runway.

The repair continues from 10:00pm to 8:00am every day, according Director General at TIA, Raj Kumar Chhetri. He added that it would however not affect the regular flights.

CAAN’s aviation capacity building project’s director Baburam Poudel also shared the information that the contract company has made preparedness along with the management of necessary human resources and equipment. For the first phase, the runway of 3,000 meter would be blacktopped.

After frequent flaking of the runway pitch, the government has decided for the runway rehab. CAAN Director General Manager, Sanjiv Gautam, said after the completion of the runway upgrading, taxi parking would also be managed well at TIA. A Chinese company has been contracted for the upgrading at the cost of Rs 3.75 billion excluding tax.