Tribhuvan International Airport Kathmandu Nepal.
Tribhuvan International Airport (
Nepali: त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल,
IATA:
KTM,
ICAO:
VNKT) is an international airport in
Kathmandu, Nepal. The airport is about six kilometres from the city centre, in the
Kathmandu valley. It is the sole international airport in
Nepal and has served as an airfield since 1949. The airport was inaugurated in
1955 by
King Mahendra and received its current name in 1964.
Originally a grass runway, it was re-laid in concrete in
1957 and has been extended several times. The first jet aircraft landed at
Tribhuvan in 1967 and regular jet operations commenced in
1972.
The airport has one domestic and one international terminal. At present, about 30 international airlines connect Nepal to destinations in
Asia and the
Middle East, and the airport serves as a hub for several Nepalese airlines. In
2001,
Royal Nepal Airlines discontinued their flights to
Frankfurt and
London, which severed Nepal's direct air links with
Europe.
Recently,
Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from
Istanbul to
Kathmandu, re-establishing Nepal's connection with continental Europe.
The airport was originally named
Gauchaur Airport, after the area of Kathmandu where it was situated. The formal beginning of aviation in Nepal occurred in 1949, with the landing of a
Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft, carrying the
Indian ambassador. The first charter flight took place between Gauchaur and
Calcutta, in a
Himalayan Aviation Dakota on
20 February 1950.
In 2001, Royal Nepal Airlines discontinued their flights to Frankfurt and London, which severed Nepal's direct air links with Europe. Recently, Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from Istanbul to Kathmandu, re-establishing Nepal's connection with continental Europe.
The airport has a single 10,
007 feet (3,050 m) concrete runway orientated 02/20. There is no instrument landing system available.[6] The airport has two public terminals—one for international and one for domestic traffic. It also has a terminal for
VIP guests.
The airport is capable to handle aircraft from the
Nepalese Army Air Service.
Radisson Hotel Kathmandu operates an executive lounge for first and business class passengers for some airlines and
Thai Airways International operates a business lounge for its business-class passengers, as well as
Star Alliance Gold card holders.
Ground transportation[edit]
The airport is connected to the cities of Kathmandu and Lalitpur (
Patan) through the busses of
Sajha Yatayat, which stop in front of the international terminal. Local busses are available outside of the airport gate. There are local as well as pre-paid taxis available at both terminals.
Nepal Airlines (formerly known as Royal Nepal Airlines) is the flag carrier airline of Nepal and also the national airline of Nepal. Its head office is in the
NAC Building (formerly RNAC Building) in Kathmandu,[2][3] and its main base is Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. The airline was established in July
1958 as
Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) on the same day in which
Thai Air was established leading to be Nepal's first airline. The airline's first aircraft was a
Douglas DC-3, used to serve domestic routes and a handful of destinations in
India. The airline acquired its first jet aircraft,
Boeing 727s, in 1972. In 2004 the government of Nepal decided to sell off 49% of its stake in Nepal Airlines to the private sector.
As of May 2014, the airline operates a fleet of nine aircraft.
Like all Nepalese airlines, Nepal Airlines is included in the list of air carriers banned in the EU, as of
December 2013.
On
30th April 2015, Nepal Airlines received its second
Airbus A320,
Lumbini. The aircraft was filled with 5 tonnes of aid material to be flown from the Airbus factory in
Hamburg, to Nepal on delivery of the aircraft. The aid material will be used in the relief effort for the
April 2015 Nepal earthquake.Nepal airlines flies to
Delhi,
Doha, Kathmandu (hub),
Kuala Lumpur,
Hong Kong and
Bangkok internationally.
Previously terminated destinations, such as
Dubai,
Bangalore and
Mumbai are set to operate again after the delivery of the second Airbus A320. From
5 December 2013,
European Union bans all airlines from Nepal to fly into the 28 nations
- published: 12 Jul 2015
- views: 22320