Recently, a Thai AirAsia flight faced a horrific situation that
looked like a scene from an action movie when it was denied permission
to land at an Indian airport. With only 30 minutes of fuel left, the
plane had to circle in the air for an additional 45 minutes, leaving
passengers worried and fearful about their safety.
The plane, an
Airbus A320 piloted by Captain Mathawat Aphirnathpong, was finally
allowed to land at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu,
Nepal. However, it was held there for four hours due to lack of
paperwork. The plane was released on October 27 after Captain Mathawat
issued an official apology. The flight finally departed for Bangkok at
6:57 pm.
TIA General Manager Jagannath Niraula said the flight
was arranged by Nepali agency Universal Tours and Travels, which assured
Thai AirAsia that all permits were secure. After the pilot apologised,
TIA allowed the plane to depart. Before landing, the plane was asked to
circle at 14,000 feet above Simara as the captain requested urgent
landing clearance due to low fuel. The Kathmandu-bound flight had 176
passengers on board and was scheduled to return to Bangkok with 160
passengers.
Gyanendra Bhul, deputy spokesperson for Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority, confirmed that Thai AirAsia had not received official approval under Nepal's winter programme, which came into effect on October 27.
Universal Tours and Travels, led by Parashar Prasai, had previously organised Thai AirAsia flights under conditional approval while repaying a pre-pandemic loan of Rs 270 million. "Thai AirAsia flight that was denied landing in India faced a fuel emergency before landing in Nepal. Know how the situation unfolded and why the clearance was delayed."
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