For more than 26 years, passengers departing Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport on flights operated by Indian carriers have faced an extra security screening before boarding. Multiple outlets describe a screening area on the airport apron staffed by Indian security personnel, where travelers are frisked and baggage is searched by hand. The process is carried out just before passengers board Indian-registered aircraft.
India says the practice began in the period following the 1999 hijacking of IC814 and was raised publicly in India’s parliament in 2000. In Nepal, however, officials from multiple government agencies report they cannot locate a clear written authorization or paper trail explaining the legal basis for the screening. As a result, Nepal cannot readily justify why the practice has continued for decades, even though it is carried out routinely.
The differing focus across outlets centers on documentation and governance: Indian accounts point to parliamentary disclosure and post-hijacking security measures, while Nepal-based reporting emphasizes the lack of accessible documentation and the inability to explain how the arrangement is formally authorized.
