Kathmandu, Jan. 3 -- Scores of domestic and international flights were affected on Friday as Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport experienced multiple problems, ranging from power outages and the failure of a backup system to a thick blanket of fog over the city. The airport has been closed since noon.

The combination of these events underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure at the country's only international airport, especially when there is inclement weather.

"The power failure brought the country's busiest airport to a standstill, but the more serious issue was that the backup power system did not work for more than 25 minutes," an official at the airport told the Post on the condition of anonymity. "All system...