During the Gen-Z protests that engulfed Nepal on September 8 -9, 2025, protestors had come to burn down Tribhuvan International Airport, confirmed Nepali Army in a press conference organized today at 2 pm local time.
In the first press conference organized by the Nepalese Army following the Gen-Z uprising in Nepal, Director General of Military Operations, Major General Anupjung Thapa, said that around 2000 people had come to attack the busiest international airport of Nepal. Thapa also said that 15 of them were loaded with petrol jerry cans.
Nepal’s Army Role in Performing Air Rescues following the Gen Z Protests
The first day of Gen-Z protest in Nepal saw a lot of (high)school children and college graduates take to the streets to raise their collective voices against the increasing corruption in Nepal, which had decided to put a ban on social media. The protests turned into a bloodbath after the government decided to gun down 19 protestors. The same day, doctors working in government hospitals said that police hadn’t spared wounded people who were taking refuge in state-run hospitals.
The day following this bloodbath was one of the most remarkable in the politics of Nepal: then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned, Sher Bahadur Deuba, the leader of Nepali congress and a seminal figure in the coalition government of the country was attacked by the angry protestors, who physically damaged and/or torched:
- 688 government offices
- 259 personal houses
- 128 business houses
- 198 offices of various political parties of Nepal
- 307 police offices
Following the very palpable security scare on September 9, Nepalese Army rescued 61 (V)VIPs and their family members using helicopters. From Maharajgunj Police Station alone, 23 police officers were air-rescued.
According to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft’s report published in 2024, Nepalese Army Air Service comprised of 15 aircraft:
| Detail | Number of Aircraft |
| Aircraft at 50% readiness rate | 8 |
| Aircraft at 70% readiness rate | 11 |
| Aircraft at 75% readiness rate | 11 |
| Aircraft at 80% readiness rate | 12 |
One third of these were transports, while the remaining were rotorcraft.
A few days before the Gen-Z protests, the United States presented two M28 skytruck to the Nepal Army. One of these was an air ambulance, while the other was a regular skytruck. Nonetheless, both of these were handed over as part of US’ Foreign Military Financing (FMF) grant.
According to a report published by globalmilitary.net, this is the capacity of the Nepal Army Air Service:
| Category | Aircraft Model | Origin Country | Model Year | Active Units | Ordered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopter | Mi-17 | 🇨🇳 China | 1977 | 4 | 2 |
| Helicopter | H125M / AS350 | 🇫🇷 France | 1990 | 2 | 0 |
| Helicopter | SA315 | 🇫🇷 France | 1957 | 2 | 0 |
| Helicopter | AW139 | 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 UK / Italy | 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| Helicopter | Dhruv ALH | 🇮🇳 India | 2002 | 1 | 0 |
| Transport | M28 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 1986 | 3 | 2 |
| Transport | BN-2 | 🇬🇧 UK | 1965 | 1 | 0 |
| Transport | CN235 | 🇪🇸 🇮🇩 Spain / Indonesia | 1988 | 1 | 0 |
Nepalese Army’s Role in Protecting Tribhuvan International Airport
On the second day of the protests, unofficial news started to circulate that just-resigned Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was running for cover and heading to either China or Dubai from Tribhuvan International on an aircraft operated by Himalaya Airline.
This led to a lot of protestors heading towards Nepal’s oldest airport which was once called “Gauchar Airport”, an airport that was a grazing place for cattle. [Incidentally, Nepal’s Lukla Airport, which is regarded as the most dangerous airport in the world, also served as a grazing place for cows. In the older days, as the aircraft was headed to Lukla, people would clear the land off cows, and make way for a landing].
It was during this furore as angry protestors scavenged for KP Oli that around 2000 people headed to the Tribhuvan International Airport, looking to turn it into a ruinous place, much as they’d done with a lot of government offices. According to Brigadier General Manoj Thapa:
Only if we hadn’t stopped the protesters from torching the premises of the airport and other harmful activities, which would have ultimately led to the closure of one of the important international airports of Nepal. It would have sent a negative message to the world about our state, with a high risk of harm to our state’s image.
He further commented:
“…tourists stuck at the airport were also provided with the necessary security, also diplomats and other foreigners residing at the Kathmandu Valley were provided much needed security.”
Nepalese Army Saved an Already Reeling Aviation Sector of Nepal
One might plausibly argue that Nepal’s aviation sector is already reeling. The latest hit the Nepalese aviation took was the corruption scandal surrounding the construction of the Pokhara International Airport, an aerodrome which is set on its way of becoming a failure of a gigantic proportion as almost no international flights take place from this airport, which was built at a cost of nearly $200 million.
The other international airport of Nepal is the Gautama Buddha International Airport, which was once thought of heading towards the same fate as Pokhara, but is now seeing some progress as some carriers from the Middle East are operating to and from it.
The Nepalese government also suffered losses worth Rs1.47 billion ($13.38 million) during the procurement of two widebody aircraft. A possible torching of aircraft in Tribhuvan International Airport or the possible desecration of the airport facilities would have been really costly for Nepal, had the army not intervened to take charge of the Tribhuvan International Airport.
| Category | Aircraft Model | Origin Country | Model Year | Active Units | Ordered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helicopter | Mi-17 | 🇨🇳 China | 1977 | 4 | 2 |
| Helicopter | H125M / AS350 | 🇫🇷 France | 1990 | 2 | 0 |
| Helicopter | SA315 | 🇫🇷 France | 1957 | 2 | 0 |
| Helicopter | AW139 | 🇬🇧 🇮🇹 UK / Italy | 2003 | 1 | 0 |
| Helicopter | Dhruv ALH | 🇮🇳 India | 2002 | 1 | 0 |
| Transport | M28 | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | 1986 | 3 | 2 |
| Transport | BN-2 | 🇬🇧 UK | 1965 | 1 | 0 |
| Transport | CN235 | 🇪🇸 🇮🇩 Spain / Indonesia | 1988 | 1 | 0 |
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All in All
Nepal has an extraordinary aviation record. After all, the only helicopter that landed at the top of Everest took off from Lukla Airport. Nepal is also home to two exotic aerodromes called Syangboche Airport and Mingbo Airstrip, which are, individually more dangerous than Lukla Airport.
Had Tribhuvan International Airport been desecrated by the protestors during the Gen Z uprising, it would have been a devastating blow to the country that has already been barred from flying into the European Union.
Very useful, interesting and poignant summary. Thanks.
And “incidentally’….some airstrips in the North had also served as grazing areas for yaks; whereas an airport-designated land in the South serves as grazing ground for buffaloes. But such use is potentially more serene compared to having airfields in miggratory bird locations, wherein –e.g. @YVR– there is a Wildlife Team along with dogs, falconry, pyrotechnics, lasers, and other noise-making tools to scare and disperse potentially hazardous wildlife.