Flight ops temporarily suspended due to electric problem at Nepal's Kathmandu airport

Flight operations were temporarily suspended at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport after problems occurred in the runway's lighting system on Saturday.

The problem, which occurred at about 5:30 pm, was resolved about four hours later and the operations at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) started at 10:00 pm (local time).

Take offs and landings for both domestic and international flights were affected due to the electrical problem. “After more than four hours of maintenance work, the problem was fixed,” an airport staffer said.

Two domestic and three international flights were diverted due to the problem. Qatar Airways flight was diverted to Dhaka, Korean Air to Delhi and Fly Dubai to Lucknow, according to TIA spokesperson Rinji Sherpa.

Buddha Air’s two domestic flights were diverted to other regional airports within Nepal, he added.

However, the exact cause of the problem was not revealed.

The airfield lighting, especially on the runway, refers to the lighting system that helps pilots land at night or during poor visibility.