Tourism industry embarrassed by sorry state of TIA

28th February, 2016

THE ONLY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN NEPAL CONTINUES TO ENSURE THAT PASSENGERS HAVE A HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE


Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu

T he only international airport of Nepal, Tribhuvan International Airport ( TIA) is a disgrace because of being over congested and poor management. Passengers are suffering and TIA stands criticised for its overcrowding, lack of infrastructure, ineffective ground handling, stinking restrooms, delay in arrival of luggage, inadequate and rusted trolleys, and a host of other problems. The airport was recently ingloriously listed as the third worst airport in the world by The Guide to Sleeping in Airports.
The sorry state of the only international airport is having a negative impact on the overall tourism sector.
The slow and unconcerned bureaucracy, ineffective management and politicised labour pose serious problems to its running, service delivery and the development and enhancement of infrastructure.
FIRST IMPRESSION, BAD IMPRESSION
Madhu Sudhan Acharya, President, Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents ( NATTA), says, “ The airport is the gateway for development of tourism. The condition of our international airport is embarrassing and gives a very bad first impression to the world.” There is nothing in the international airport that reflects our rich culture and diversity, he says. He claims that there are no attractions or facilities for travellers even in the only international airport of the nation. He exclaims, “ TIA resembles a local bus park when compared to international airports around the globe.” “ The effort to develop tourism is in vain if the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal ( CAAN) does not prioritise the expansion of the international airport,” he says. According to him, expansion is the only option for now as development of another international airport will take years and is not cost effective.
GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY AND INTERFERENCE
Bhola Bikram Thapa, Managing Director of President Travel and Tours, says, “ The degrading status of the international airport has adversely affected the tourism sector. Infrastructure development and capacity building must be the top priority. But development activities of the airport have been delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles.” Further he says that existing issue of labour union is hindering the enhancement of the airport. He says, the labour unions are politically backed. This has created mismanagement which results in heavy congestion.
HARD TIME FOR PASSENGERS Ghanshyam Raj Acharya, Spokesperson, Airline Operators Association of Nepal, says, “ The current situation of the airport ensures the most horrible experience for passengers.
Passengers have to wait for hours for the arrival of their luggage. Further it is embarrassing to see broken trolleys and inefficient human resources.
He adds that this is because the distribution function is not efficient and lighting facilities are also not up to the mark. “ TIA as a service provider must offer quality experience to travellers.
This is possible if the construction and expansion projects take place without any hassles,” he says.
Pravesh Aryal, Executive Director, Hotel Association of Nepal ( HAN) says, “ The government may be concerned about the worsening situation of the only international airport and CAAN is carrying out weekly monitoring and observation of the parking facilities and expansion projects. But we have not experienced the desired outcome yet.” He says that it is the weakness of the leadership that has caused the international airport to reach such a situation.
PASSING THE BUCK When asked about the problems at TIA and about TIA ranked as the world’s third worst airport, Devananda Upadhyay, General Manager at TIA, says, “ The announcement of TIA being the world’s third worst airport is not official. It is just a research done by a private company for personal motives. We are making efforts to improve the capacity.” While he does not feel that the airport is badly managed he is of the opinion that if we could only gear up the infrastructure at the airports and proceed with the expansion plans the problems will be solved. But just what’s happening with the expansion plans and the fact that it will miss the deadline is another story. CAAN will no doubt have a good excuse and pass the buck for that delay as well.