New Delhi, Sept. 10 -- Flight operations between India and Nepal came to a halt on Tuesday after Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu was forced to shut down amid escalating violence in the country, grounding hundreds of passengers and cancelling multiple services, including at least six from Delhi.

"Flights such as Air India AI 2219, IndiGo's 6E 1155, Nepal Airlines' RA 218, AI 2231, AI 217 and AI 211 and 6E 1153 were cancelled," officials said. They added that "infact Air India 217 had to air return due to smoke on the runway at Kathmandu airport's final approach."

The closure has disrupted more than 250 daily flights that the airport usually handles, spanning carriers such as Air India, IndiGo, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Si...