KATHMANDU: Air travel has been affected by poor weather conditions, especially low visibility impacting flights from Kathmandu to several remote destinations.

Jagannath Niraula, General Manager of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), announced that flights to Lukla have been canceled due to heavy rainfall.

He added, “While bad weather has affected flights to remote areas, services in the Sugam region are running normally.”

At present, only instrument flight rules (IFR) flights are being operated at TIA since visual flight rules (VFR) flights cannot take off under these circumstances.

The airport office has reported that many tourists, who have walked to their destinations, are now stranded because of the flight cancellations.

Although flights from Kathmandu to the Terai region are running on schedule, most flights to remote locations are suspended. Despite these domestic flight disruptions, international flights are continuing without issues.

The Weather Forecasting Division attributes the current weather conditions to a mix of westerly and local winds, along with a low-pressure system in West Bengal, India.

The forecast suggests partly cloudy to generally cloudy skies in hilly areas, with clearer conditions elsewhere.

Light to moderate rain and thunderstorms are expected in parts of the Bagmati and Gandaki hilly regions, as well as in isolated areas of the Terai.

Light rain is currently occurring in various locations within the Kathmandu Valley.