For 26 years, India has searched passengers at Kathmandu airport. Nepal can’t say why
Summary
For 26 years, Indian security personnel have conducted extra passenger screening at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport for flights to India, with no clear Nepali record authorizing the practice. The arrangement traces back to the 1999 IC814 hijacking and has long raised questions about sovereignty and airport control.
Key Points
- Passengers on Indian-registered aircraft at Tribhuvan International Airport undergo additional security screening by Indian personnel before boarding.
- Nepali authorities say they cannot locate any original document authorizing the arrangement, while Indian records suggest it began after the 1999 IC814 hijacking.
- The practice has continued for 26 years despite questions over sovereignty, and Nepal has never formally moved to end it.
- Former Nepali officials say proposals for Indian sky marshals were debated and rejected, but the screening practice was later effectively institutionalized through ministerial action.
