KATHMANDU: A total of 63,242 people traveled through Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) over the two days of the Dashain festival.
Travel data was recorded for both domestic and international flights during Phulpati (the seventh day) and Maha Astami/Mahanawami (the eighth/ninth day) of the festival, which were observed on the same date this year.
According to TIA spokesperson Rinji Sherpa, on October 11, there were 17,329 domestic passengers across 301 flights, while 14,436 passengers traveled on 278 domestic flights on October 12. This totals 31,765 domestic passengers over the two days.
For international flights, 16,509 passengers traveled on October 12 across 107 flights (both arrivals and departures), followed by 14,968 passengers on 107 flights the next day, totaling 31,477 international passengers.
Earlier, on September 30, TIA recorded 559 flights in a single day, serving 35,704 passengers in total.
The spike in passenger numbers was attributed to significant flooding and landslides caused by incessant rains on September 27-28, which led to a surge in flight demand.
TIA managed the increased passenger flow from September 29 to October 2 in the aftermath of the disasters, leading to overcrowding in its terminal building.
However, the airport has since reported that flight schedules have returned to normal.
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