History
The airport began as Gauchar Airport, named after the area of Kathmandu where it was situated. The formal beginning of aviation in Nepal occurred in 1949 with the landing of a lone, four-seater, Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft, carrying the Indian ambassador. The first charter flight took place between Gaucher and Calcutta, in a Himalayan Aviation Dakota on 20 February 1950.
In 1955 the airport was inaugurated by King Mahendra and renamed Tribhuvan Airport in memory of the king's father. The airport was again renamed Tribhuvan International Airport in 1964. The original grass runway was re-laid in concrete in 1957 and extended from 3,750 feet (1,140 m) long, to 6,600 feet (2,000 m) long in 1967. The runway was again extended from 6,600 feet (2,000 m) to 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in 1975.
The first jet aircraft to land at Tribhuvan was a Lufthansa Boeing 707, which touched down on the 6,600 feet (2,000 m) runway in 1967. Nepal Airlines Corporation commenced jet operations at the airport in 1972 with Boeing 727 aircraft.
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