So are you planning to travel? here is a list of airports in every city. There are currently 51 airports in Nepal including Nepal’s only 2 international airports.
Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and Gautam Buddha International Airport in Siddharthanagar, Lumbini are the only 2 operating airports in Nepal. Pokhara International airport is under construction and is planning to operate as soon as possible.
The Nepal government has plans to construct another International Airport in the Bara district namely Nijgadh International Airport, which will be 75 km away from the city. Nijgardh Intl. The airport is scheduled to be in operation in 2025, currently acquiring land.
There are currently 5 airports under construction in 5 different cities in Nepal. And with time it is easier to book airplane tickets online as well.
International Airports in Nepal
| No. | Airport Name | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tribhuwan International Airport | Kathmandu |
| 2 | Gautam Buddha Int. Airport | Siddharthanagar |
| 3 | Pokhara International Airport | Pokhara (Under Construction) |
As we all know that Nepal is a landlocked country between India and China. International airports are the one medium through which Nepal is connected to different parts of the world.
And to think there was only 1 international airport in operation is scary. To fix the burden on one airport Nepal has now 2 other constructed one of which has started its operation.
The listed are some of the major and biggest airports in Nepal
1. Tribhuwan International Airports
TIA originally was called “Gauchaur”, On 15 June 1955 King Mahendra inaugurated and renamed it Tribhuvan Airport in Memory of King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah. Later in 1964, it was changed to Tribhuwan International Airport.
Currently, there are two public terminals, for international and domestic traffics. The international traffic has the capacity to handle up to 1350 departing passengers/hour. But according to reports it is handling around 2200/hour at peak hours because of the increasing demand of passengers.
This is the only airport in Kathmandu City.
2. Gautam Buddha International Airport
The newly renovated GBIA’s estimated cost was about 97Millions. They took the loan for the Construction of the Runway, PTB, Apron, and control tower. Also to improve the existing domestic runway into a parallel taxiway.
3. Pokhara International Airport
The newly built Pokhara Int. The airport is said to be a project which is an estimated cost of around 216Millions USD of which it has a Loan of 145Million.
The Construction of this new Airport has a runway length of 2,500m, and is located 3km southeast of the present regional Pokhara Airport.
List of Airports in Nepal
- Baglung Airport
- Bajura Airport
- Bhadrapur Airport
- Bharatpur Airport
- Meghauli Airport
- Bhojpur Airport
- Biratnagar Airport – regional airport
- Surkhet Airport
- Dhorpatan Airport
- Jumla Airport
- Rukum Chaurjahari Airport
- Dhangadhi Airport
- Dolpa Airport
- Doti Airport
- Darchula Airport
- Sukilumba Airport
- Janakpur Airport
- Bajhang Airport
- Simara Airport
- Jiri Airport
- Jomsom Airport
- Kamal Bazar Airport
- Kangeldanda Airport
- Tribhuvan International Airport – International
- Man Maya Airport
- Thamkharka Airport
- Lamidanda Airport
- Langtang Airport
- Tenzing-Hillary Airport – Lukla dangerous airports in Nepal
- Mahendranagar Airport
- Manang Airport
- Ramechhap Airport
- Rukum Salle Airport
- Nepalgunj Airport – regional airport
- Masinechaur Airport
- Palungtar Airport
- Baitadi Airport
- Pokhara Airport – regional airport
- Rajbiraj Airport
- Talcha Airport
- Rolpa Airport
- Rumjatar Airport
- Sanphebagar Airport
- Gautam Buddha International Airport – International
- Simikot Airport
- Phaplu Airport
- Syangboche Airport
- Taplejung Airport
- Tikapur Airport
- Dang Airport
- Tumlingtar Airport
Airline Market Share 2022
Here are the top 5 airlines in Nepal which are able to grab the most passengers. Both International and Domestic airlines with their changer percentage have been added.
According to The Kathmandu Post, domestic airlines carried an astonishing 3.54 million passengers in the year 2021.
Top international carriers with no. of passenger stats
| No. | Airlines | No. of Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar Airways (QTR) | 303,556 |
| 2 | Nepal Airlines (NP) | 284,961 |
| 3 | Himalaya Airlines (NP) | 255,678 |
| 4 | Fly Dubai (UAE) | 150,291 |
| 5 | Air Arabia (UAE) | 99,795 |
Top Domestic Airlines in Nepal
As you can see below, Buddha Airlines remains the top domestic airplane flying in Nepal’s domestic region. They’ve seen a huge rise of 1.91 million passengers which is 20.21 percent more than in 2019.
Buddha airlines have 15 aircraft and are expecting 3 million passengers in 2022. Their current market share is a whopping 54 percent. According to Wiki, there are around 49 domestic airports in Nepal.
| No. | Airlines | No. of Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buddha Airlines | 1,910,000 (+20.21%) |
| 2 | Yeti Airlines | 801,164 (+3.93%) |
| 3 | Shree Airlines | 540,398 (+13.75%) |
| 4 | Saurya Airlines | 134,153 (+71.14%) |
| 5 | Guna Airlines | 55,288 (+%) |
FAQ
How many airports are there in Nepal?
There are currently 51 operating airports in Nepal, additional 5 airports under construction in 5 different cities.
How many international airports are in Nepal?
There are currently only 2 international airports, Tribhuwan and Gautam Buddha International Airport. Pokhara International Airport is still under construction.
Airports in Kathmandu
The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu has only 1 airport and that is Tribhuwan International Airport. One terminal for Domestic and another for International.
