Operation at TIA to be suspended

Operation at the Tribhuwan International Airport TIA is reported to be suspended till 10 a.m. tomorrow. Officials of the airport have cited the obstruction in regular works at the airport to the prolonged time being taken to remove the Turkish Airline plane that has been stuck near the runway since its mishap two days ago. Effort on towing the aircraft all day today was also not successful. With the obstruction in airport operation, not only has Nepal been disconnected with the rest of the world for the last three days, but thousands of passengers who were due to embark to foreign countries are left stranded at the airport. With lack of necessary equipments, manpower and logistics to solve the problem, technicians who were requested from India have been at the task of removing the aircraft since yesterday. Director General of TIA Birendra Prasad Shrestha informed the front part of the plane had been raised with the help of a special kind of balloon. All international flights have been postponed since 7a.m. Wednesday after the Turkish aircraft crash landed at the airport. Including personnel from Nepal Army, airport officials and experts, around 150 people are giving assistance to a team of 25 Indian experts who arrived yesterday, to remove the aircraft from the grassy area near the runway. The obstruction of the airport runway has affected 80 flights everyday.