Kathmandu, Oct 16: During the five-day period of the Dashain festival, more than 237,000 people traveled by air through Tribhuvan International Airport. According to airport statistics, from the start of Fulpati (October 10) to the day before the full moon (October 14), a total of 160,910 people traveled domestically and 78,512 internationally.
According to the airport spokesperson, Rinji Sherpa, during the seven days of Dashain from Fulpati, to the day before the full moon, a total of 2,940 flights took place, including 2,159 domestic flights and 781 international flights. This number reflects two-way flights.
On two specific days, Fulpati and Maha Ashtami/Maha Nawami, a total of 63,242 people traveled by air, both domestically and internationally. From September 29 to October 14, a total of 427,946 people flew, including 223,847 on domestic flights and 240,099 on international flights.
During this period, a total of 6,852 flights took place, with 5,108 domestic flights and 1,744 international flights.
On October 10 alone, a single day saw 559 flights (both domestic and international) with 35,704 passengers. Due to heavy rainfall on September 27-28, landslides and floods disrupted road networks, leading to increased demand for air travel.
With the surge in both domestic and international flights, there was significant congestion at the terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport. However, the airport authorities have reported that air travel is returning to normal.
During Dashain, large airline companies dominated the domestic market, with private carriers like Buddha Air, Yeti Airlines, and Shree Airlines operating the most flights. These airlines operate larger and medium-sized aircraft, such as the ATR 70 aircraft by Buddha and Yeti, and the Dash 8 aircraft by Shree Airlines, with an 80-seat capacity. Summit Air, Tara Air, and Sita Air operate flights to remote destinations like Lukla. Nepal Airlines Corporation operates only two aircraft for domestic flights to remote areas. #flights #rss
