Kathmandu: This is as bizarre as it can get in civil aviation industry!
In a shocking mix-up by leading Nepalese private airline Buddha Air, passengers who had boarded a flight for Janakpur were flown to Pokhara instead.
According to a report in The Kathmandu Post, 69 passengers on board flight U4505 were taken by surprise when the plane landed in Pokhara, which is located 255 km from Janakpur.
Preliminary report suggested that miscommunication between ground staff and the pilots resulted in the faux pas.
The media report said that several flights were delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions. And since flights to Pokhara were permitted to land until 3 pm only, under the visual flight rules (VFR), the ground staff decided to push the Pokhara flight first.
The problem was, the ground staff and flight attendant did not brief the captain and co-pilot that the flight’s number had been changed, said an airline official.
“The flight attendant made an announcement on the flight that it was heading to Janakpur,” the official was quoted as saying.
Former director-general of Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal Tri Ratna Manandhar was scathing in his criticism. “The Buddha Air incident happened due to miscommunication. It’s not part of safety lapses but it’s a serious lapse on the part of management,” he was quoted as saying by Nepalese media.
