The newest international airport of Nepal Airport is becoming more and more of a disaster. Less than a month online, he experienced the worst possible catastrophe with the crash of Yeti Airlines Flight 691. The exact cause of the accident has not yet been officially clarified, but voices were quickly raised that it was prematurely opened under pressure from the authorities.
Allegations by cockpit staff and experts weigh heavily. The approach procedure for Pokhara International Airport is said not to have been published in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP). The airport’s flight inspection also showed that landings from the west are not recommended. There is an instrument landing system ILS, but it will not be put into operation until February 26th.
Now Pokhara International Airport is coming under pressure again. According to a report in the Kathmandu Post newspaper, it is said to have payload problems, which could have serious consequences. All airports have aircraft loading restrictions, which depend on a number of factors including runway length and temperature.
According to CAAN, the civil aviation authority of Nepal, the payload limit at Pokhara International Airport is between five and 10 tons, depending on the temperature and distance to the destination airport. The maximum payload for an Airbus A320 in Pokhara is 68 tons. Normal is 77 tons. If the flight time is less than 1 hour 20 minutes, the charge limit does not apply.
Aircraft such as the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320 cannot use the airport at full capacity. This presents airlines with a dilemma. They either leave seats empty on the plane to save weight, or they can only fly to nearby destinations. This makes the airport unattractive for many airlines, especially those from abroad.
However, Pokhara International Airport was specially built to handle medium-range commercial aircraft such as Airbus A320, Boeing 737 and Boeing 757. With the new airport, the country wanted to attract international airlines to Pokhara – and also relieve Kathmandu. The Nepalese city is a starting point for the Annapurna trekking. After less than four weeks, the airport seems to have already failed.
This article was written by Benjamin Recklies
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The original of this article “Faulty construction? Nepal’s new airport cannot handle full machines” comes from aeroTelegraph.
