Nepal's only international airport reopens; thousands of stranded passengers begin leaving

KATHMANDU, Nepal – Nepal's only international airport has reopened four days after a Turkish Airlines jet skidded and blocked the single runway.

Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal said Sunday the first planes took off just before midnight with thousands of stranded passengers.

The Turkish Airbus 330 was removed from the grass and towed to a parking area. No one was injured when it skidded off the wet surface on Wednesday.

March is the beginning of the tourist season, when thousands of foreigners come to trek and climb the Himalayan peaks.