 From 1981 to 1985, the airport was shut down due political instabilities in Southern Nepal.The airport was initially served by domestic flights with grass runway from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and Pokhara Airport in Pokhara by the country's national airline Nepal Airlines.After many years of lobbying by the local people and expatriates living abroad, limited expansion of the airport was carried out; a new terminal was built and the 1158-metre runway was paved to enable medium-sized aircraft used by Nepal Airlines and other similar aircraft to operate.