Kathmandu, August 7
The government of Nepal has decided to construct a transit hall at the country’s only international airport to serve passengers who use Kathmandu as a transit point during their international journeys.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation has concluded that the number of passengers using the airport as a transit point increased of late, and hence decided to use the transit hall. Total 951 passengers in transit travelled via Kathmandu in 2018.
A meeting of the ministry’s Development Problems Solution Committee made the decision recently. The meeting assigned the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal to carry out preparations.
Tribhuvan International Airport’s General Manager Raj Kumar Chhetri says the administration has already begun preparations to find an appropriate location for the hall.
Currently, the airport administration has allocated one room with a capacity of around 25 people for the passengers in transit. The room is insufficient as one single flight may have up to 60-70 passengers in transit, according to the stakeholders.
Of late, passengers using flights of Nepal Airlines Corporation and Himalayan Airlines use Kathmandu airport in transit. The NAC transports the passengers between New Delhi of India and Gulf countries whereas Himalayan Airlines between Doha of Qatar and Dhaka of Bangladesh via Kathmandu.
