Kathmandu, August 27
Nepal’s only international airport, TIA, will shut for two-and-half hours on Thursday morning, in view of the arrival of dignitaries attending the fourth BIMSETC Summit in Kathmandu, officials said.
The airport will be closed from 8-10:30 am on Thursday–the time slot allotted for the heads of government to arrive in Kathmandu. During the closure period, members of the general public will not be allowed to enter the airport premises and regular flights will be halted.
The airport, which is open for 21 hours a day, will, however, remain open for 24 hours during the course of the summit. Officials said the extra hours were added to compensate for delays caused by the shutdown.
This is not the first time that the airport is being closed to welcome heads of governments coming to Kathmandu. In November 2016, the airport was closed for 45 minutes to provide security for the then Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. Similarly, in November 2014, the airport was shut for a few hours as the city hosted the SAARC Summit.
