Nepal Airport Re-opens after Four-day Shutdown

Kathmandu's international airport reopened late Saturday, ending a four-day shutdown after a plane skidded off its only runway which left thousands stranded at the start of a busy tourist season.

Nepalese and Indian experts worked for days to help remove the damaged Turkish Airlines A330 after it veered off the runway with 224 passengers on board early Wednesday.

All the passengers and crew were unhurt in the accident, which led to a runway closure and saw scores of international flights cancelled.

"The aircraft has been removed and the airport is open for international travel," said the airport's general manager, Birendra Prasad Shrestha.

"We urge passengers to contact their respective airlines and check if they are operating flights," Shrestha told AFP.

The head of the civil aviation authority, Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, told AFP the shutdown had left some 21,000 passengers stranded in the Nepalese capital.

Nepal has launched an investigation into the accident, which damaged the aircraft's landing gear and front engines and dislodged its tires.

The Himalayan nation is home to some of the world's most remote and tricky runways, flanked by snow-capped peaks and terrain that poses a challenge even for accomplished pilots.

A string of crashes as well as the European Union's decision to blacklist all Nepalese airlines prompted government officials last year to announce plans to install new radar and weather monitoring systems.