Domestic flights were disrupted across Nepal on Friday as poor weather and reduced visibility forced the closure of five airports, including Lukla.

According to Tribhuvan International Airport authorities, flights could not operate from Bharatpur, Pokhara, Lukla, Simara and Surkhet airports from early Friday.

Flights at Tribhuvan International Airport were operating under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), but services requiring Visual Flight Rules (VFR) were being affected by low visibility.

Visibility at Kathmandu airport was around 3 kilometres at 6am and remained at roughly the same level by 10am, airport officials said.

Flights to Lukla have been particularly affected, with tourists and other passengers waiting at Tribhuvan International Airport. Sita Air cancelled all its flights for Friday, while Tara Air and Summit Air were waiting for weather conditions to improve before operating flights to Lukla.

According to the domestic flight schedule, 134 domestic departures were scheduled for Friday. They included 58 by Buddha Air, 27 by Yeti Airlines, 23 by Shree Airlines, ten each by Summit Air and Tara Air, four by Sita Air and two by Nepal Airlines.

The airport authority warned that some scheduled flights could be cancelled, delayed or rescheduled because of the adverse weather.

Passengers have been advised to check the latest status of their flights with their airline or the airport before travelling.