Kathmandu is served by Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), the sole international airport of Nepal. As the primary gateway to the Himalayas, it offers a focused network of flights into KTM from key destinations across Asia and the Middle East, with a limited number of direct long-haul services arriving in Kathmandu.
Travelers flying into Kathmandu will find the most frequent and affordable service from regional hubs into KTM. Top routes into Kathmandu include direct flights from Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Bangkok (BKK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Dubai (DXB), Doha (DOH), and Istanbul (IST). These cities serve as vital connecting points for onward travel from Europe, North America, and other parts of the world to Kathmandu. Direct flights from major East Asian cities like Seoul (ICN) and Guangzhou (CAN) into KTM are also important.
The market into Kathmandu is served by a mix of regional, Middle Eastern, and Nepali carriers flying into KTM. The national airline, Nepal Airlines, operates a core network into Kathmandu. They are joined by major foreign airlines including Qatar Airways, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Air India, and Thai Airways serving KTM. Low-cost carriers like AirAsia and IndiGo provide competitive fares on routes from Southeast Asia and India into Kathmandu.
To secure cheap flights to Kathmandu, leverage the competitive routes from India and Southeast Asia into KTM by booking with low-cost carriers well in advance. For travel to Kathmandu from Europe, Australia, or the Americas, connecting via a Middle Eastern hub (Doha, Dubai, Istanbul) into KTM is typically the most efficient and often the most affordable strategy. Book international flights into Kathmandu at least 2-3 months ahead, especially for peak trekking seasons (March-May, September-November) when flying to KTM. Due to the airport's single-runway operation and weather delays into Kathmandu, always allow ample connection time when arriving at KTM from connecting flights.