Nepal Shares Runway Concerns About Heavy Planes with Supplies at its Airport

Nepal has imposed temporary restrictions on aircraft weighing over 196 tonnes flying in relief material to Katmandu's Tribhuvan airport - the only international airport in the tiny country - following the April 25 earthquake that left over 7000 dead and many more homeless.

The restriction was put in place when cracks were observed on the five-decade-old runway after the quake and a series of aftershocks. One aftershock hit the country even this afternoon. Repair work on the runway in on.

The restrictions, however, do not apply to scheduled international flights irrespective of the type of the aircraft.

The Nepalese authorities say the measure is not hampering the flow of relief material.

Cracks had first appeared on the runway in June 2011 and have become a recurring problem. In August 2013, the airport authority had asked all international carriers to find alternatives to wide-body aircraft flying into the airport.

Over the last eight days, more than 300 rescue flights, including 150 chartered ones, have landed here.

Some Western countries had apparently sought permission to land big jets carrying relief materials. The US had planned to bring in relief materials on a Boeing 747, reported Indo-Asian News Service quoting sources.

After the government ruled out finding more survivors buried in the ruins of Kathmandu, the focus has shifted to delivering aid in Kathmandu and in the far-flung areas of the devastated nation.

But the UN's head of humanitarian affairs Valerie Amos has said she was worried the foreign aid was being held up by red tape.

"I was extremely concerned to hear reports that customs was taking such a long time," Agence France-Presse quoted Ms Amos as saying. She said she has asked Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to speed up customs clearance for aid materials.

"He has undertaken to ensure that happens, so I hope that from now we will see an improvement in those administrative issues," she said.