Airport Overview

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is one of the major international airports in Nepal. It is located 6 km from the city centre, in the Kathmandu Valley, the country's capital. The airport has one domestic and one international terminal. Both Instrumental Flight Rule (IFR) and Visual Flight Rule (VFR) traffic are permitted in this airport. During winter months, particularly in December and January, flight delays may occur due to foggy conditions. While the airport boasts ample space and cargo handling facilities, it is essential to note that there is no cold storage facility available. Therefore, careful planning is necessary for the shipment of temperature-sensitive and medical cargo.

Airport Location and Contact
Country	Nepal
Province or District	Bagmati Province, Kathmandu District
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Airport	Kathmandu 6 km
Airport’s Complete Name	Tribhuvan International Airport
Latitude	27.70029
Longitude	85.35676
Elevation (ft and m)	4394.76 ft and 1339.54 m.
IATA Code	KTM
ICAO Code	VNKT
Managing Company or Airport Authority	Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Tribhuvan International Airport, Tel +977-1-4113163, 4113033 Fax +977-1-4113180 AFS – VNKTYDYX Email: tia_cao@caanepal.gov.np
Management Contact Person	Subhash Jha (spokesperson)
Open: Day only or 24 hrs	February to November: 0600LT - 0330LT (Next Day) November to February: 0630LT – 0330LT (Next Day)
Number of Runways (including length and width)	1, RWY 02/20, 3350 m x 45 m
Number of helipads, including dimensions	Helicopter operations are authorized in designated areas. TIA has designated the east of runway 02-20 opposite the taxiway no B and C as a helicopter landing area.

Airport Picture

Description and Contacts of Key Companies

SN	Agencies related to Operation of TIA	Name
1	Multimodal Transport Operators	Nepal Transit and Warehousing Co. Ltd.
2	Management Company	Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal
3	Customs	TIA Customs Office
4	Freight Forwarders	Courier service providers, Nepal Freight Forwarders Association, Export council of Nepal
5	Banks	Rastriya Banijya Bank, TIACO Branch
6	Quarantine	Food Import Export Quality Certification Office TIA
7	Shipping lines	N/A
8	Customs Agent	Customs Agents Association (100 licensed Agents)
9	Security	Nepal Army, Nepal Police

 

For more information on airport contacts, please see the following link: 4.5 Airport Companies Contact List.

Information on some aviation service providers can be found at: http://www.azfreight.com/ and https://www.airportdata.com/

Airport Infrastructure Details

TIA has a single runway measuring 3350m in length and 45m in width with an orientation 02 and 20. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is currently working on the extension of the Parallel Taxiway in the northern and southern parts of the runway of TIA that will connect at the end of Runway 02. This expansion of the taxiway is part of the Air Transport Capacity Enhancement Project (ATCEP), upon completion, the total length of the taxiway will be 1400 meters, which will reduce waiting time for aircraft before take-off and landing.

 

Customs	Yes	JET A-1 fuel	Yes
Immigration	Yes	AVGAS 100	N/A
Terminal Building	Yes	Ground Handling Services	Yes, Available with Local Airlines Operators and Nepal Airlines and other Operators
Passenger Terminal	Yes	Cargo terminal	Yes

Airport Operating Details

Operating Details
Maximum Sized Aircraft that can be Offloaded on Bulk Cargo	Airbus 330, Boeing 777, IL76, MD10, DC10, ATR72, CRJ700/200, MA60, ATR42, JS41, B190, D228, L410, DHC6, Y12
Maximum Sized Aircraft that can be Offloaded on Pallet	A340, B777, B747, MD10, C30, IL76, A350-900,
Storage Area (m3 and MT)	5,430 m² of cargo storage
Handling Equipment
Elevators / Hi Loaders	Yes High loaders: 1 x 7MT BMA high loader; 1 x 7 MT Souam transporter; max pallet size: 96”x125”, 7 MT capacity	Max Capacity (MT)	7 mt
		Max Height (m)
Loading Ramps	Yes, 7 Nos
Other Comments	While only a few B747 aircraft have landed at the airport, they were not being used as cargo aircraft. This is due to the short runway.

Customs Guidance

The government has established a customs office at the airport for smooth clearance of import and export cargo. For individual travellers, all baggage must be declared and cleared through customs on arrival at the port of entry. For the import of cargo, the importer has to submit an application along with air waybill copies to the customs office for clearance of goods. Procedures and custom waiver process for relief items can be found in 1.3 Nepal Customs Information.

CLEARING AGENTS
Company Name	What categories do they treat (food, fuel, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, or all-rounders)?	Bonded/Non-bonded warehouse Capacity	Temperature controlled /Non temperature controlled
Ultimate Export and Import	All rounders	No	No
Dynamic International Cargo	All rounders	No	No

 

For more information on customs in Nepal, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information. 

Storage Facilities

CAAN contracted Nepal Transit and Warehousing Company Ltd (NTWCL) on a profit-sharing basis to operate the cargo complex especially to manage the warehousing space in clearly demarcated export and import sections. The total capacity of the Air cargo complex at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) is 5430 m², and it is divided by mesh wire barricade into equal half for imports and exports. Although the available space for cargo storage seems adequate for normal goods, it is essential to note that there is no cold storage facility available. Therefore, careful planning is necessary for the shipment of temperature-sensitive and medical cargo.

Daily Capacity

Import section: 70-80 mt of goods flow per day from 40-45 international flights of which 20 flights are cargo flights.

Export section: 75-100 mt of goods flow per day.

Import Section: 180-200 Mt storage.

Capacity of 78 mt handling manpower available per day

 

Handling Equipment

Nepal Airlines is responsible for the ground handling of cargo at Tribhuvan International Airport. Indian Airlines have ground handling equipment for their own needs, whereas Nepal Airlines does ground handling work for the other airlines and themselves. 

 

BONDED STORAGE (STORAGE AVAILABLE BEFORE CUSTOMS)
Storage condition	Number of Storage Facilities	Total Area (m²)	Total volume (m³)	Handling requirement
Open air	1	325	1950	Forklift = 1 (5 ton) Hand Trolley = 5 Loader = 5
General cargo (closed)	2	2,450 each	12,250 each	Forklift = 1 (1.5 ton) Forklift = 1 (5 ton) Hand Trolley = 10 Loader = 13
Bagged Cargo	2	227	500	Hand Trolley = 3
Temperature controlled (15 to 25 °C)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Keep Cool (2 to 8 °C)	2	20 and 93	50 and 288	Hand Trolley = 2
Freezing Temp (minus 25 to minus 15°C)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Ultra cold-chain temp (minus 80 to minus 60°C)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Narcotics Cage	1	6	15	N/A

 

NON-BONDED STORAGE (STORAGE AVAILABLE AFTERS CUSTOMS)
Storage condition	Number of Storage Facilities	Total Area (m²)	Total Volume (m³)	Handling requirement
Open air	1	275	1,375
General cargo (closed)	3	275	1,375 (including bagged cargo)
Bagged Cargo	N/A
Temperature controlled (15 to 25 °C)	N/A
Keep Cool (2 to 8 °C)	N/A
Freezing Temp (minus 25 to minus 15°C)	N/A
Ultra cold-chain temp (minus 80 to minus 60°C)	N/A
Narcotics Cage	N/A

 

Airfield Costs

NAVIGATION CHARGES

All fees except the passenger service charge and entrance fees should be paid by the commander of the aircraft or agent without demand before the aircraft departs from the aerodrome. For aircraft carrying out international flights, all payments of fees should be made in US dollars.

Charges	Aircraft Weight - MTOW (kg)
	0 - 7,000	7,001 - 136,000	136,001 and over
Navigation (per journey) USD - $	$45.90 (up to 25,00 kg)	$76.50 (25,001 kg to 50,000 kg)   $152.75 (50,001 kg to 75,000 kg)	$303.50 (any part over 75,000 kg)
Landing USD - $	12.50 (up to 10,000 kg)	12.50 plus, 2.50 each for 1000 kg (10,001 kg to 25,000 kg)   50.00 plus 3.75 for each 1000 kg (25,001 kg to 50,000 kg)   143.75 plus 6.00 for each 1000 kg (50,001 kg to 75,000 kg)   293.75 plus 7.35 for each 1000 kg (75,001 kg to 100,000 kg)	447.50 plus 8.55 for each 1000 kg (any part over 100,000 kg)
Night Landing USD - $	N/A	N/A	N/A
Night Take-Off USD - $	N/A	N/A	N/A
Parking	$1.00 per 1000 kg (up to 50,000 kg)	$50.00 plus $1.05 for each 1000kg (50,001 kg to 100,000 kg)	$22.25 plus $1.95 for each 1000 kg (any part over 100,000 kg)
Handling Charges	NPR 5,000 (for self-handling) NPR 10,000 (for commercial ground handling)	NPR 5,000 (for self-handling) NPR 10,000 (for commercial ground handling)	NPR 5,000 (for self-handling) NPR 10,000 (for commercial ground handling)

13 % VAT is applicable in the above-mentioned charges. (Source: CAAN AIP Nepal)

An additional charge will be levied for each landing made outside of the published operation hours of the aerodrome based on time used, on an hourly basis. For international flights, this amount is fixed as NRS 35,000 (excluding 13% VAT) per hour.

Security Charges: Security charges at the rate of 10% of the landing fees as mentioned above shall be imposed.

The following aircraft are exempted from payment of landing and parking fees:

a) Foreign diplomatic aircraft engaged on diplomatic missions to Nepal.

b) Aircraft withheld by Director General, CAAN for necessary investigation.

c) Such other aircraft as the Director General, CAAN may approve.

d) UN-registered Aircraft

FUEL SERVICES CHARGES

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has a fuel depot with storage capacity (KL): Physical -7640 and Mobile 161.

Storage Type: Vertical Tank (1600×3, 760×3), UG Tank (70×8).

Refueller Details: AR26, 27, 38 (27 KL). AR34, 35,36,37, 40 (16KL) of ATF and 161 KL of fuel standby in refuellers provided by the Nepal Oil Corporation.

	Price per Litre USD - $
Jet A-1	1.02/litre (Duty Paid)*
Avgas	N/A

As of 01 February 2023

Exchange rate: 1 USD = 132.814 NPR

CARGO TERMINAL CHARGES

For information on service rates and charges,

Sn	Category of Goods	Export	Import
1	General	Per kg NPR 1.21 or NPR 242 minimum; whichever is higher	Per kg NPR 6.47 or NPR 121 minimum; whichever is higher
2	Valuable	Per kg NPR 3.03 or NPR 302.5 minimum; whichever is higher	Per kg NPR 9.88 or NPR 242 minimum; whichever is higher
3	Perishable	Per kg NPR 2.42 or Rs 242 minimum; whichever is higher	Per kg NPR 9.88 or NPR 242 minimum; whichever is higher
4	Dangerous	Per kg NPR 6.50 or NPR 650 minimum; whichever is higher	Per kg NPR 19.36 or NPR 484 minimum; whichever is higher
5	Express Courier Bag, Express Courier Parcel and Express Cargo	Per kg NPR 6.50 or NPR 121 minimum; whichever is higher	Per kg NPR 6.50 or NPR 242 minimum; whichever is higher
6	For the export and import of live animals, the service charge is double of service charge for valuable goods

(Source: TIA Cargo Terminal Charges)

• In case of palletization and de-palletization of the goods NPR 60.50 per ton will be charged.
• In case of a request from the goods owner to manage goods beyond office hours and during the holidays separate charge of NPR 242 per consignment will be levied.
• Demurrage charge will be as follows;

• Export: For the first seven days no charges are applicable, after 7 days for 30 days NPR 0.90 per kg will be charged and from 31 days to 60 days NPR 2.11 per kg will be charged,
• Import:  For the first seven days no charges are applicable, after 7 days for 30 days NPR 2.42 per kg will be charged and from 31 days to 60 days NPR 3.03 per kg will be charged. Provided that, if the goods are not taken within the exempted period, demurrage charges shall be levied from the date of receipt of such goods.

Security

Among the three security forces of Nepal, the Nepal Army and Nepal Police work in conjunction to provide security at TIA. Nepal Police has the responsibility to control access and searches for passengers and goods. Nepal Army has the responsibility to control and secure the premises of the TIA. Also, the presence of the Nepal Army’s Kali Dal Battalion adjacent to the premise of TIA bolsters security at all hours of the day and night.