The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) was discontinued on Wednesday after a large -scale violent protests in Nepal, which trapped hundreds of foreign nationals.
Flight services at the airport were partially postponed at the airport in view of the protests that took place on Tuesday by protesters to enter the premises of the airport.
In a public notice, the airport officials said that the shutdown is due to the current serious situation and urged the passengers and stakeholders to wait for further information.
According to the news portal news, the TIA had announced to temporarily shut down by 6 pm on Wednesday evening, but now the operation has been stopped without fixing any time limit to reopen.
The Nepal army on Wednesday imposed nationwide restrictive orders and curfews to prevent possible violence under the guise of protests. The step has been taken a day after the anti -government demonstrations, due to which the Prime Minister’s P Sharma Oli had to resign.
The closure of the airport has affected both domestic and international flights, which stuck hundreds of passengers. Airlines have advised passengers to keep in touch with their airline companies for updates.
According to the news, the officials said that the airport will start operating only after the approval of the security agencies.
Airport spokesman Ranji Sherpa said, “We had closed the airport due to security reasons as we saw smoke in some areas and parts of the runway around the airport.”
The Nepal Army said in a statement that “foreign nationals trapped in current difficult situations should contact a close security post or security personnel for their defense or any other help.” The army has also requested hotels, tourism entrepreneurs and concerned agencies to provide necessary help to the needy foreign nationals.
Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) on Wednesday urged all stakeholders to help creating a tourist favorable environment for the movement of tourists.
“Since the country is going through a difficult situation and the airport is closed, it is necessary to manage trapped tourists,” HAN said in a statement.
HAN said that it is coordinating with the Nepal Tourism Board and Nepal Army for necessary management and convenience for tourists. He has also issued a hotline contact number 9851031495 for housing facilities for trapped tourists.
On Tuesday night, the Nepali army controlled the airport, when the protesters tried to enter the premises of the airport.
Air India, which operated six flights per day between New Delhi and Kathmandu, canceled four flights on Tuesday. IndiGo and Nepal Airlines also canceled their flights from Delhi to Kathmandu.
