Air traffic disrupted at TIA due to adverse weather & wind shear

KATHMANDU: An Air Arabia airplane overshot its landing at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu this afternoon. The aircraft, which was preparing to land, veered off course and overshot the runway at Narephant due to a missed approach caused by “wind shear,” according to TIA spokesperson Rinji Sherpa.

In addition, an Air India flight traveling from New Delhi to Kathmandu was temporarily held in the air near Simara due to adverse weather conditions, before successfully landing at TIA. A Thai Airways flight also experienced a hold during its flight for a period of time.

On Wednesday, multiple flights were impacted by low visibility, including a Nepal Airlines plane coming from Narita, Japan, a Qatar Airways flight, an Air India flight from New Delhi, a Batik Air plane from Kuala Lumpur, and a Fly Dubai aircraft. Domestic flights were also affected, with Buddha Air’s flight from Dhangadhi and Yeti Airlines’ flight from Pokhara held in the sky.

For the past week, flights in Nepal have faced disruptions due to low visibility caused by adverse weather, TIA officials report. Most of the disruptions have affected international flights, as pre-monsoon weather patterns and developing rainfall systems have been impacting Nepal.

Light to moderate rainfall occurred in various parts of the country, including the Kathmandu Valley, on Wednesday night. The rain primarily affected the Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces. According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather will remain partly cloudy in the hilly regions of these provinces today, with further light to moderate rain, along with lightning and thunder, expected this afternoon.