KATHMANDU: The Tribhuvan Inter­national Airport’s only runway has been barely functional over the past four years. The Civil Engineer­ing Department under the airport authority has been spending around Rs 20 million a year patching it up. “With such a shoddy runway, there can be an accident anytime,” says Murari Bhandari, department direc­tor. “We are taking a big risk.” There is a risk of aircraft skidding during both takeoffs and landings. “Patch­ing it up on the surface is no solution since there is structural damage,” Bhandari says, adding that if there is a crash because of the runway, it would send out a troubling message to the rest of the world. UTTAM KAPRI