Tribhuvan International Airport
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Tribhuvan International Airport त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल |
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) | ||||||||||
| Serves | Kathmandu, Nepal | ||||||||||
| Hub for | |||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 4,390 ft / 1,338 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 27°41′47″N 085°21′32″E / 27.69639°N 85.35889°ECoordinates: 27°41′47″N 085°21′32″E / 27.69639°N 85.35889°E | ||||||||||
| Website | www.tiairport.com.np | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
 KTM
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2015 ) | |||||||||||
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| Passengers | 3.21 million |
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| Passenger change 2014-15 |
 8.37% |
| Aircraft movements | 26,563 |
| Movements change 2014-15 |
 2.37% |
Tribhuvan International Airport (Nepali: त्रिभुवन अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय विमानस्थल, IATA: KTM, ICAO: VNKT) is an international airport in Kathmandu, Nepal. The airport is about six kilometres from the city centre, in the Kathmandu valley. It is the sole international airport in Nepal, though Nijgadh International Airport has been proposed as a second. The airport has served as an airfield since 1949, and was inaugurated in 1955 by King Mahendra. It received its current name in 1964. Originally a grass runway, it was re-laid in concrete in 1957 and has been extended several times. The first jet aircraft landed at Tribhuvan in 1967 and regular jet operations commenced in 1972.
The airport has one domestic and one international terminal. In 2015, the airport handled 3.21 million passengers, down 8.37% from 2014. At present, about 30 international airlines connect Nepal to destinations in Asia and the Middle East, and the airport serves as a hub for several Nepalese airlines. In 2001, Royal Nepal Airlines discontinued their flights to Frankfurt and London, which severed Nepal's direct air links with Europe. Recently, Turkish Airlines launched direct flights from Istanbul to Kathmandu, re-establishing Nepal's connection with continental Europe. The Nepalese government has also recently announced that agreements have been made with Air New Zealand, Vietnam Airlines, and El Al to schedule direct flights to Kathmandu from Auckland, Hanoi, and Tel Aviv respectively (not limited to codeshare flights).
The airport was originally named Gauchaur Airport, after the area of Kathmandu where it was situated. The formal beginning of aviation in Nepal occurred in 1949, with the landing of a Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft, carrying the Indian ambassador. The first charter flight took place between Gauchaur and Calcutta, in a Himalayan Aviation Dakota on 20 February 1950.
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