Kathmandu, April 20
A Malindo aircraft scheduled to take off for Malaysia has been spared a fatal accident at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu.
The airplane which was speeding up the runway for takeoff at 10 pm suddenly skidded off the tarmac and slid 40 meters before crashing onto the grassy field at Koteshwor section. The aircraft got partially buried in the soil following the high – speed impact. There were 139 passengers onboard the plane at the time of the frightening incident.
Even though the plane left the runway all the passengers including the crew are safe, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) Director General Sanjiv Gautam said.
Following the incident, inbound aircraft were diverted to other destinations while seven airplanes waiting for clearance to takeoff remained grounded at the TIA.
The TIA is currently closed and will reopen after the aircraft is removed at around noon today.
The incident comes more than a month after the tragic incident involving US – Bangla aircraft in which 49 passengers were killed. The aircraft also skidded off the runway to crash and burn in the nearby field.
