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Kathmandu, NP
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Kathmandu, Nepal · Asia-Pacific
Nepal's main international gateway is a 1990 brick hall plus a separate domestic building, one tabletop runway with no ILS, and two Priority Pass rooms after immigration — honest but operating beyond its ~8 million capacity.
An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.
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Kathmandu, Nepal · Asia-Pacific
Nepal's main international gateway is a 1990 brick hall plus a separate domestic building, one tabletop runway with no ILS, and two Priority Pass rooms after immigration — honest but operating beyond its ~8 million capacity.
An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.
Most important tips
A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.
International from KTM is a dual-security day. Plan a full 3 hours with bags; the official 1-hour counter close is the last, not the first, clock.
Official FAQ: check-in usually begins 3 hours before departure and ticket-checking counters close at least 1 hour prior. You still show ticket and passport at canopy gates A1/A2/B1/B2, then bag x-ray, the airline desk, immigration, and a second security check before the sterile hold. Qatar Airways web check-in is 48 hours to 90 minutes, but KTM is not on QR's kiosk list — still visit the desk. Thamel traffic can erase the first hour.
International and domestic are two halls about 500 m apart. Do not walk airside. The free shuttle is every 20 minutes.
International (1990/2020) and domestic (~500 m north, 2016 hall + 2022 Buddha Air wing) are separate buildings. Official FAQ: free shuttle every 20 minutes. There is no live third terminal. Thai's old Royal Silk lounge is gone — that room is Horizon Lounge by Soaltee. Seven international boarding gates. Waiting room at Gate A1 side if you hold a ticket in the next 12 hours.
CAAN does not publish drinking fountains. Sealed bottles at Himalayan Java or the airside food court, or lounge water if you have access.
No published NPR bottle tariff — pay at the till. Himalayan Java Airport 1 (departure) and Airport Arrival are live brand pages. Official Food Court and Lounge sits near the international departure gate past the VIP entrance. Lounge water is free once you are in Horizon or Executive. Nepal tap water is not a refill plan.
Most visitors collect VOA at KTM after the online barcode. Indians skip the visa. Restricted nationalities need a visa before boarding.
Department of Immigration: 15 days USD 30, 30 days USD 50, 90 days USD 125, multiple-entry. Fill nepaliport.immigration.gov.np (barcode dies after 15 days) or the kiosk, pay at the bank counter, then the immigration desk. TIA's older $25/$40/$100 VOA list conflicts with DOI — sit DOI. FCDO: passport 6 months; pay card with USD cash backup; travel insurance and first-night booking may be asked. Yellow fever only from listed risk countries. Declare more than USD 5,000 cash or 10,000 cash+travellers cheques. Indians visa-free. TIA FAQ VOA-ineligible: Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan. Minors under 10 get gratis.
Live conditions
Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.
Honest verdict
Airportist Score
Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.
Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
Food and retail quality and variety.
Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
Worth-it density and access quality.
Full guide
Each section answers one trip question in depth.
Tribhuvan International Airport and the Kathmandu city center
4 ways into the city, compared on time, cost, and luggage.
2 lounges with access rules, hours, and verdicts. 1 rated worth it.
Treat international and domestic as two airports 500 m apart. Official FAQ: free shuttle every 20 minutes from international arrivals to domestic. There is no airside walk that saves a missed connection.
5 rated amenities — food, Wi-Fi, quiet spots, family, and sleep.
Where to refill for free, and where a bottle costs the least airside.
Editorial and traveler reviews — what people actually complain about.
Tribhuvan International Airport and the Kathmandu city center
Compare prepaid private transfers to Kathmandu — useful overnight, with luggage, or when you want a locked-in fare before you land.
Official desk as you exit international arrivals, fares on the board. Facilities: on your right.
Tip: Facilities put the desk on your right; some arrival pages still say left. Agree the posted fare before you sit down.
Uber launched Kathmandu Valley 5 Jun 2026 with Taximandu. Pathao, inDrive and Yango are also live. Bolt is not.
Tip: Compare all four at the curb and keep the ride inside the app. Uber is Valley-only, not nationwide.
Official Thankot–Tribhuvan International Airport short route. Green buses via Ratnapark, Maitighar and Tinkune.
Tip: Night 20:00–23:00 launched 14 Apr 2026 on the Airport–Thankot corridor — confirm in the Sajha Plus app.
100 cars / 350 two-wheelers at the operations building; larger domestic plot. FAQ: first 5 minutes free for pick-up.
Tip: Drop at international departure; pick up at the new arrivals area. A June 2026 notice trialled 15 free minutes for one month; the live FAQ is still 5 minutes.
Radisson-operated since 2009. PP 4.3/1,000+, max 2 guests, paid Wi-Fi, smoking room. Priority Pass still labels this landside, but the room is after immigration.
Full access guide
Add a photoThe better of the two PP rooms — 4.6/895, later hours, unlimited guests, under-5 free, 2-hour max stay. This room replaced Thai's old Royal Silk lounge.
Full access guide
Add a photoAfter immigration, before second security. Priority Pass and LoungeKey KTM2, 06:00–01:00, 2-hour max, unlimited guests.
Live departure (Airport 1) and arrival branches. Official tea shops and a food court past the VIP entrance toward the gates.
Official facilities SSID from departure through arrival; TIA-Wifi-Departure after immigration. The FAQ spelling WorldLink is a variant — try the facilities SSIDs first.
Domestic hall ~500 m north. Official FAQ: free shuttle every 20 minutes. No airside walk.
Official charging hubs in departure and arrival. Free charging dock photographed December 2024 in the domestic hold.
Official FAQ starts check-in 3 hours out and closes ticket-checking at least 1 hour prior, after a ticket-gate and two security screens.
Show ticket and passport at canopy gates A1/A2/B1/B2, then bag x-ray, the airline desk, immigration, lounges, and a second security check before the sterile hold.
Waiting room at Gate A1 if you hold a ticket in the next 12 hours.
Thamel traffic can erase the first hour before you even reach the canopy.
Horizon Lounge by Soaltee replaced Thai's old Royal Silk room. After immigration, before the second security check.
PP 06:00–01:00, 2-hour cap, unlimited guests. Executive / Radisson is the older 06:00–23:00 room with paid Wi-Fi and a smoking room.
LoungeKey KTM2 matches Horizon; KTM matches Executive.
Priority Pass still labels Executive as landside — it is after immigration.
Facilities put prepaid taxis on your right at international arrivals. Uber launched Kathmandu Valley 5 Jun 2026.
Pathao, inDrive and Yango also run. Sajha Route 5 is the live city bus. No metro. No airport rail.
Board fares are posted at the prepaid desk.
Some arrival pages still say the taxi desk is on the left; facilities put it on the right.
High-season Lukla (LUA) flights operate from Ramechhap / Manthali (RHP), not from Kathmandu.
Autumn 2026 window 25 Sep–30 Nov. Budget a 1–3 am road transfer of 4–5 hours if that is your trek.
KTM still handles the off-peak Lukla schedule.
Missing the Manthali bus is a missed trek, not a missed KTM connection.
Himalayan Java Airport 1 inside the international terminal departure campus (brand page live)
Live Himalayan Java departure branch (airport1@himalayanjava.com.np, 01-5900931). CAAN does not list public fountains. Sealed bottle, pay at the till.
Near the international terminal departure gate, just past the VIP entrance (sterile)
Official facilities: boutique food court near the international departure gate, just past the VIP entrance, with a lounge area and luggage storage. Sealed water after the second security check.
International Arrival Terminal hall (Himalayan Java Airport Arrival brand page)
Live Himalayan Java arrival branch (airport2@himalayanjava.com.np, 01-5911196). Useful after immigration if you need a sealed bottle before the prepaid-taxi desk.
After immigration and before the second security check, international departures (PP / LoungeKey KTM2)
Complimentary once you are in the Soaltee room. Priority Pass and LoungeKey KTM2. 2-hour max stay. Better quality pick than a landside bottle if you already have access.
Nepal (NP)
Sign in and add a passport to see the entry requirement for Nepal.
Passports are saved in profile settings. Check the official site before you travel.
Editorial profile notes — not a live alert feed. Live operations are on Overview and in the panel below.
Typical operations snapshot — editorial, not live news. File dated Sep 21, 2026.
Typical delay mix from the same editorial snapshot — not a live feed. Current operations are on Overview.
Live operational signals from Flighty or FAA, plus checkpoint waits where airports publish them.
Traveler reviews
Alternatives
Passenger airports within about 150 km. Scored airports show their Airportist Score so you can weigh a switch.