Fog, cold wave disrupt flights to Nepalgunj

By Siraj Khan,Nepalgunj, Dec. 20: Air services at Nepalgunj Airport were disrupted on Friday afternoon due to extremely low visibility caused by dense fog and a cold wave, according to the Civil Aviation Office, Nepalgunj.

The airport remained closed from early Friday morning as visibility dropped to between 500 and 700 metres due to persistent fog and cold conditions, resulting in the suspension of all flights from Nepalgunj until the afternoon.

Airport tower officials said flights could not resume as the minimum visibility required for air operations was not met. 

According to the tower, a minimum visibility of 1,000 metres is required for aircraft take-off and 1,600 metres for landing. However, visibility remained below 700 metres until 12 noon on Friday.

As a result, all morning flights from Nepalgunj to hill districts were cancelled, while all flights to Kathmandu were also suspended. Although a scheduled flight was due to depart Kathmandu for Nepalgunj at 8 am, it could not operate because of the closure of the airport, said Binit Bikram Shah, Chief of Buddha Air, Nepalgunj.

He said flights from Kathmandu would resume only after the airport reopens. Currently, Nepalgunj has regular daily flights to Kathmandu operated by Shree Airlines (four), Buddha Air (four) and Yeti Airlines (two). Similarly, Nepalgunj usually operates a higher number of morning flights to hill districts.

The disruption of air services has caused difficulties for passengers travelling to Kathmandu and the hill districts. Most passengers who had already purchased tickets were seen waiting at the airport for flights to resume.

The airport office said morning flights had been affected for the past few days due to fog and cold conditions, but no flights could operate until Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the cold wave and dense fog have also led to a sharp drop in temperatures in the Banke district, affecting daily life. Hospitals have reported an increase in the number of patients due to the cold.

Meanwhile, fog also affected flights to and from Bhairahawa on Friday. 

Caption: Aircraft grounded at Nepalgunj Airport after flights to hill districts were suspended due to fog and low visibility.