POKHARA, March 24: After being closed since 8:00 AM due to the presence of eagles on the runway, Pokhara Regional International Airport (PRIA) has finally reopened its runways to air traffic.
The closure was prompted by a surge in insect activity, attracting a flock of eagles to the runway area, causing safety concerns for incoming and outgoing flights. The airport authorities swiftly initiated efforts to mitigate the insect presence, and the airport has been reopened for operations.
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The airport officials said that aircraft started landing at PRIA from 1:30PM.
PRIA Spokesperson Jashoda Subedi said that the flights have resumed. The opening and closing of the airport were going on since the morning. "Although the airport is now open, there was a delay in aircraft arrivals initially. However, we are now observing aircraft gradually returning to regular schedules," she stated. Subedi assured that flights and landings are currently ongoing without interruption.
According to Subedi, flights at the airport were affected due to a flock of eagles that came to eat the insects after insects with wings were seen on the grass field near the runway. The airport administration also washed the runway to get rid of the insects that appeared suddenly. She said that even after washing the runway with water from the airport's fire hydrant, they were struggling to solve the problem of insects and eagles.
“Flight operations at the airport were disrupted due to the presence of eagles drawn by the influx of insects, initially spotted on the grass field adjacent to the runway. To address the issue, the airport administration conducted runway washing to mitigate the sudden appearance of insects. Despite efforts utilizing water from the airport's fire hydrant, there was a challenge in effectively resolving the issue of both insects and eagles,” Subedi said.
"However, we managed to clear the runway and reopen the airport," Subedi said.
