Smooth Sailing: What to Expect on Your Flight from KTM Airport

We recently flew Indigo from Kathmandu to New Delhi. This was just me (Kelly) and the kids. ND flew to India a week ahead of us. Read our review to know what to expect when you fly out of KTM.

Kathmandu International Airport Departures

When you arrive at the international departure terminal, you enter via Check-in A or B. It honestly doesn’t matter which one you go through so just pick the closest one or the shortest line. They’ll check your ticket and then you can go inside where you’ll immediately send your bags through a security scanner and be subject to a pat down (1/3 in that airport).

Key Note: There is an area to exchange your currency prior to going inside. It’s to the left side, just around the corner and I didn’t notice if there were any currency exchanges inside or not, so I’d recommend doing it there if you have leftover Nepalese Rupees.

After you collect your bags, you can find the check-in desks for your flight. There are screens that show the flights and the check-in counters that you need to go to. Overall, it’s a small airport, but as is the norm in Nepal and other similar countries, it can feel chaotic, and the same rules (like personal space) don’t apply here. The check-in desks open 3 hrs prior to your flight.

Lounge

After you get upstairs, you immediately come to the lounge area. This is prior to security. There is a business class lounge and a priority pass lounge. Since we have priority pass via multiple of our credit cards, we were able to enter the lounge and finally have coffee! It’s small and the food was just ok, but it was nice to have a priority pass lounge with coffee, water, a private bathroom, and just a place to relax. If you don’t have priority pass, there are multiple credit cards that you can get that provide a membership (the Capital one venture x and Amex platinum are 2 of my favorites!)

Check-in

With Indigo, we presented our ticket, our passports, and our Indian visas as Delhi was our final destination. We had one suitcase each and the weight limit was 23kgs each. They weighed our bags together and as we were under the 69kg allowed for the 3 of us, we didn’t have to pay any luggage fees. From there, you head up the escalators. Before you can go on the escalator, a guard or attendant will check your boarding pass (check 1).

Boarding:

The boarding process was smooth, kind of. As with all airlines we’ve flown in Nepal, they do check your boarding pass multiple times, and it feels a little crazy.

Our boarding pass was checked twice (scanned only once) in the line at the gate (check 3 and 4). In Kathmandu, you take a bus from the terminal to your plane for all flights. It’s a small airport with only 1 runway. We rode the bus to the plane where you go through another security check. Ladies on one side and gentleman on the other. They “check”your carry-on luggage again (you have to open your bags) at the bottom of the stairs and mark your boarding pass again (check 5). Additionally, they do another pat down/metal detector wand scan (pat down 3). This doesn’t make logical sense to me, but seems to be normal in these countries. Then, you walk up the stairs where your boarding pass is checked (check 6), marked on their list, and then the tear off section removed and you can finally board the plane.

So in total, you put your bags through a scanner twice, your boarding pass is checked 6 times, you receive 3 pat down searches, and your carry-ons checked again at the plane. Phew! 😅 it really isn’t that bad, but the first few times I experienced this, it was quite surprising. Now, it’s just a game we play—how many times will they check our boarding pass, our luggage, and our persons?

We boarded the plane and our seats were 5 A, B, and C. I did mess up because, we were sitting on the right side of the plane. To see the mountains when you fly KTM to DEL, you should sit on the left side of the plane. The views were stunning that day but unfortunately I was only able to grab a couple of quick photos when the mountains were almost gone…but still, stunning. Definitely will remember to sit on the left next time!

Key note! Book the left side of the plane if flying out of KTM towards the southern area to see views of the Himalayas and maybe even Everest!

The plane was comfortable. The seats are a pretty standard economy seat with standard leg room. The front row is considered their XL upgraded seats, but really you just have slightly more leg room. The plane was cool on arrival and stayed cool throughout the flight. There was no bad smell (an experience we’ve had on many flights in the region) and the crew were efficient. We departed on time and landed ahead of schedule. I booked via the Capital One travel portal to use my $300 travel credit, so we didn’t get the opportunity to pre-order a meal. If you order on the plane, it costs money, $5 USD for a sandwich and $3 USD for some snacks. This comes with a drink.We opted not to get anything. When I booked ND’s flight via Indigo directly, it forced me to select a meal for him. I’m not sure if it’s a perk of booking directly with Indigo or not? But it looks like that is the only way to get a free snack or beverage. But regardless, the flight was only 1hr and 40 min, so refreshments weren’t necessary. We were able to bring a bottle of water from the lounge through security with no problem, so we had that if needed.

Questions about the Kathmandu International Airport? Leave them below! Happy travels!

Security

We left the lounge once our flight started boarding. We headed to security and had to remove laptops and our shoes. You put your bags and bins through and get another pat down (pat down 2). It took about 5 minutes total to go through security. Then, they will stamp your boarding pass (check 2) to signify you cleared security. Next you enter the terminal area and can find your gate. We were gate 5 and it took one minute to walk there. The terminal is small, and you could walk it in 5 minutes.