Flight operations at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport halted. Here's why

Flight operations at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport have been halted following a problem in the airfield lighting system, an airport official confirmed.

As per the spokesperson of the Himalayan nation's only operating international airport, a short circuit was reported on Saturday evening, halting flight movements.

"Problem has been reported in the airfield lighting system of the runway. At least five flights are on hold as of now. All arrival and departure flights, including domestic and international, have been delayed. The problem was detected from 5:30 PM (Local Time)," Renji Sherpa, spokesperson for TIA, confirmed to ANI over the phone.

Officials suspect that rainwater seeping into the wiring of the runway lights may have caused a short circuit, leading to the suspension of airport operations.

Following the issue, incoming flights from Dubai (Fly Dubai), Qatar (Qatar Airways), and Korea (Korean Air) were put on hold at Simara Airport. Due to low fuel levels, the Korean Air flight was later diverted to New Delhi, India.

A domestic Buddha Air flight from Janakpur, which had been circling in the Simara holding zone, was instructed to return to Janakpur.

With the problem in the lighting system, the runway of Tribhuvan International Airport is reported to have gone dark. TIA has a table-top runway with a length of 3,350 metres.

“Repair works are underway,” Sherpa confirmed.

Runway lighting refers to a system of lights installed on and around an airport runway to guide aircraft during low visibility, especially at night. These lights mark the runway's edges, centreline, and threshold, providing visual cues for pilots during takeoff, landing, and taxiing.

(With inputs from ANI)