International flights to and from Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) have been affected due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases in the country and neighbouring India.

According to a source at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the state-owned Nepal Airlines Corporation and Air India are considering to suspend flights between the two countries.

The official said on condition of anonymity that other international airline companies operating in Nepal were also opting to either reduce the number of flights or to stop operation  due to the surge in coronavirus infection in the region. Only 20 international flights carrying a total of 2,300 passengers were operated on April 25 from the Tribhuvan International Airport.
On Sunday, 50 Nepalis visited India through this airport, while 63 passengers from India arrived in Nepal. According to the office, altogether 2,000 people from abroad arrived in Nepal on Sunday. There were 22 flights on Saturday.
Currently, Nepal Airlines, Himalayan Airlines, Air India, Al Jazeera Airways, Air Arabia, Qatar Airlines, Air China, Turkish Airlines, Silk, Fly Dubai operate international flights to and from Nepal.

Thai Airlines has suspended flights since last year's lockdown. The alarming situation of Covid-19 in India has made airline companies more cautious, and Nepal-India flights have been reduced significantly.

Flights between Nepal and India the are operated only by Nepal Airlines and Air India under the air-transport bubble agreement. Until a few weeks ago, Indians used to arrive in Nepal to stay in hotel quarantine.
Due to this, the occupancy of hotels grew slightly as the Indians arrived here for quarantine before flying to the Gulf countries. A week ago, 500 Indians came to Nepal daily, but since April 25, the number has dropped dramatically.
Although the government had banned such visitors from coming to Nepal on April 25, it revoked the decision a day later.

On Monday, the Ministry of Health and Population issued a notice urging all the visitors who arrived in Nepal to undergo a PCR test.
Thai Airlines suspended its flights to Nepal due to internal reasons.

Even though no company has officially announced that it will stop flying to Nepal so far, there is a possibility that Indian Airlines will halt its operation to Nepal, according to a government source.
Stating that there are two reasons for this, the source said, "Some time ago, Indians used to come to Nepal and go to other countries. Now, it is clear that Nepal-India flights are declining as Indians are more affected by the pandemic."
As the coronavirus infection is on the rise in Nepal, other international airlines are likely to reconsider flights to Nepal, the official added.