A new domestic terminal with improved and advanced facilities has come into operation at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). The disabled-friendly building stands 30 metres to the west of the existing terminal. The construction of the Rs119.8-million facility was delayed by more than two years. The annex domestic terminal was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Ananda Prasad Pokhrel on Wednesday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (Caan) had moved to improve the facilities after endless complaints from travellers about the dilapidated domestic terminal. Passengers and airlines too have been complaining that they are not getting their money’s worth for the airport taxes they are paying. The terminal building and the road and parking lot are spread over 6,300 square metres. The area of the building only is 2,200 square metres. The old terminal which was designed to handle 384 passengers per hour had been expanded and renovated in 1995. The new airport building is a temporary facility and provides twice the facilities available at the old terminal, according to Caan officials.