Kathmandu Airport

Customer Reviews

No Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 58 reviews
3/10
No Skytrax Rating
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1/10

“Simply a terrible airport”

(Switzerland)

Trip Verified | Simply a terrible airport, the bad experience starts with a long queue at the passport control at the arrival, then you end up in another line for a totally useless security control before collecting the luggage, which obviously takes a while to arrive. But the big problems are at the departure. First useless security check when entering the terminal (useless because they didn't really check anything, but yeah, that's a waste of time). I queued at the online check-in line, which is usually faster than the normal one, but not there... I literally queued for 40 mins, despite there were no more than 15 people in front of me. Considering that it took only 30 seconds for me to leave the counter, it means that other passengers did NOT check in online but nobody cared that they were in the wrong line. Another 30 mins waiting at the passport control and you finally reach the small terminal, but here comes a new bad surprise: the shops and even worse the lounges are all BEFORE the security check... it means that you can't relax in the lounge until the boarding announcement, because you have to consider another line that could be just 5 mins or half an hour... so, if you stay too long in the lounge you don't arrive at the gate in time, and if you fear about it and leave the lounge too early, than you have to wait long time at the gate where you can't find absolutely anything but dirty seats and an useless shop (guess what? yeah, to buy a bottle of water and spend the few rupees I had, I obviously had to queue for another 15 mins). Obviously the airport is dirty as everything in Kathmandu, but one thing was really disgusting: at the security check the trays were horrible as people are forced to put the shoes on the same trays where you also put your belongings, jackets, laptop and so on... I really wanted to throw up when I realised it. Last point about the Horizon Lounge. Finally a positive point: the staff was really good. But the food, despite a big choice, is definitely not what I was looking for. I could eat only cheese, as all dishes were spicy and/or mixed with vegetables.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitMarch 2024
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"They were very rude and laughing"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | Security staff are completely inappropriate my bag was pulled to pieces with every item being tipped out and on to the floor. My underwear was pulled up in front of me for everyone to see and there was clearly no reason to inspect this. They were very rude and laughing and I felt very violated. After a overly thorough inspection, I was allowed through. It seemed they were just picking on tourists. Also, the airport is disgusting with bird droppings over the seats. Don't bother buying a coffee either, it must be the worst coffee I have ever tasted, it was so bad that I had to pour it away after a few sips.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitAugust 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"staff are all useless"

(Hong Kong)

Not Verified | Honestly this is the worst ever airport I have ever seen. This airport is dirty, the staff are all useless and rude always hungry for money. Everything in this airport is just unimaginable. Worst in everything, the cleanliness, the workers, the environment. The airport is like a zoo, bunch of animals, no sign board, no clear instructions on where we should go. It’s like a jungle.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitJuly 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"The worst airport I’ve ever experienced"

(United States)

Not Verified | The worst airport I’ve ever experienced. Appalling immigration. They don’t have good customer service. Their check point disgusting. Employees act like they are helping, but they start pulling your luggage and asking for money in front of all the airport staff. I have never seen this at other airports. They don’t have signs and they don’t have good customer service even at the customer care front desk. According to international airlines policy, customers have the right to carry two pieces of luggage under 28 kg. But they charged for both pieces of luggage. I feel like all the staff are just only looking for money.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitJanuary 2021
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
no
2/10

"Appalling immigration"

(Malaysia)

Not Verified | Asia’s worst airport. By far. Appalling immigration procedures as detailed by others: long queues, bored and limited staff - all of whom unhelpful. Takes at least an hour to get through unless you have a visa in advance from a Nepali Embassy. Other Asian countries such as Myanmar and Cambodia allow you to pay and get a visa online. Nepal sends you through a series of desks and queues. Then there’s yet another queue for a pointless security check to enter the baggage retrieval. Not much better on the departure as the airport is so busy three major flights were all delayed by 90 minutes causing people to miss connections. 2020 is supposed to be Visit Nepal year. I suggest no-one does until they have improved the airport. Domestic is equally delayed and chaotic.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2019
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Congratulations on being rubbish!"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | Quite literally the most ridiculous immigration process imaginable! No assistance from any ground staff when entering Kathmandu immigration, half the computers not working, not enough computers, queues with no signs, no organisation. Simple signs, step 1, step 2, step 3 would make life a lot easier! I spent 2.5 hours trying to get through this ridiculous immigration process, by which time my bags were sitting waiting in the arrivals hall for a long time in supervised!! Exiting via Kathmandu airport, no signs in check in desks, again no ground staff, or they were in disguise! Immigration, once again a joke! Signs saying fill in the embark form but no forms anywhere and then not even required. 2 immigration officers for dozens of international flights! Congratulations on being rubbish!
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2019
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"no concept of customer service"

(Qatar)

Trip Verified | Well, I had my fair share of delays in this airport but it could only be blamed to the ever drastic and very abrupt change in the Kathmandu valley. The airport needs a bit of expansion since the seats are not enough during peak times. I wish as well that the baggage hall would be a bit bigger as it can get crowded. The staff,ughhh! Please don't get me started. No smile, no concept of customer service and no proper planning. When I arrived at the check-in counter, I got a fairly poker-faced staff who did what she had to do. Then while we were boarding the plane, they were doing additional checks at the aircraft stairs for restricted items which had been done already after immigration or they could have done it while we are boarding the bus. The WiFi is a no-brainer as you just connect and just click on "Get Online" at the sign-in landing page (thumbs-up) and it is quite fast. I am hoping only the best for the gateway of the Himalayas.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2019
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"the worst airport I've ever experienced"

(United States)

Trip Verified | Kathmandu airport (KTM) is the worst airport I've ever experienced among more than 69 airports I've been to in over 36 countries. It is overcrowded, chaotic, and airport staff don't seem to care! Obtaining a visa upon arrival is confusing even if one has already applied for a visa online prior to arrival as there are no directional signage once you are in the arrival hall. After you get out of the airport, it's mob! Good luck finding the ground transport staff you've booked to meet you, especially if you're arriving at night. Departure is even worse! It's a mob getting through the entry doors. People just don't care about lining up (queue), airport staff don't help/some are rude, people are rude. You put you bags on a conveyor belt through the x-ray machines, the bags just tumble out off the other end while passengers are still going through the security detector gates! Check in counters are equally confusing due to lack of signage. The check in hall is overcrowded, it is hot in there. Seats? What seats, it's a foreign concept to this airport. After passport control, there's another security check where staff don't seem to speak English, and people again don't wait for their turns, and staff don't care to attempt to enforce some kind of order. Then you arrive at the boarding gates, overcrowded, chaotic, hot, did I say chaotic and no place to sit? Signage is totally inadequate so one must occasionally go check each gate to see if your boarding. We almost missed our flight! In summary, avoid this airport if you can. If you must use this airport, bring snacks as there is only one food store at the boarding gates. Avoid using the toilets it you can, if you must bring your own toilet papers, sanitary wipes, and mask because it stinks in there. For departures, arrive really early, 6 hours if possible! Bottomline, avoid Kathmandu if you can both the it's airport and the city as it is polluted and chaotic.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitOctober 2019
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Terribly disorganised"

(Australia)

Not Verified | Terribly disorganised. We spent over 3 hours here on arrival - the process for obtaining visas is astonishingly confusing, illogical and unnecessarily complicated with absolutely no explanation regarding the process. The rest of the journey out of the airport was equally bad. Staffing is grossly inadequate and reading through reviews very little has changed over years despite how long standing these issues have been. The whole process sadly detracted from what was otherwise a wonderful time in Nepal. As the first thing you experience on arriving here, it's really a huge shame.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitOctober 2019
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"wonderful trips are spoiled"

(Malaysia)

Not Verified | The worst airport I've ever been to! The check-in process was long. There's always long queues and people cutting lines. Dirty, not enough seats, gate information is only shown in the screen last minute. It doesn't matter if you are in business class or economy class because everyone just goes rushing, staff can't care less to manage. I really enjoyed my trip in Kathmandu, the food and culture, don't even mind the potholes. But if the Nepal gov aim to serve 2 mil visitors by 2020, fix the airport. All those wonderful trips are spoiled with the experience at the airport.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitSeptember 2019
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
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