Flights cancelled after Nepal closes Kathmandu Airport

Airlines cancelled flights to Kathmandu after local authorities closed Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu following the devastating earthquake Saturday morning, around 80kms away from the capital city.

Qatar Airways cancelled two flights, QR 646 scheduled to leave from Hamad International Airport (HIA) Doha to Kathmandu this evening at 07:55am, and QA flight QR650 leaving at 12.40 pm, according to the flight status page on its website.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Doha-based Nepal Airlines Corporation Country Manager Subhash Pradhan said, "Nepal Airlines has no flight to Kathmandu today. Flight RA240 from Doha to Kathmandu at 3:05am Monday is according to schedule." India’s national carrier Air India put on hold two flights today.

"We run three flights to Kathmandu. The flight from Delhi this morning went as scheduled. Two flights from Delhi and Kolkata are on hold. We will run them as soon as we get a nod from the aviation authorities in Kathmandu," an Air India spokesperson told PTI in New Delhi.

Private carrier Jet Airways also cancelled flights from destinations in India to Kathmandu.

In a statement today, Jet Airways said, "Due to the closure of Kathmandu airport, our flight was diverted to Lucknow and would return to Mumbai. So the return flight from Kathmandu stands cancelled." The airline said it has also cancelled its services on the New Delhi-Kathmandu-New Delhi sector.

India's other private airlines also put scheduled flights on hold today.