After being held in the skies over Kathmandu for some time, the crew diverted the plane to Calcutta, saying that the 'holding fuel' was running out.
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A Qatar Airways cargo charter flight from Doha, Qatar to Bhairahawa to pick up elephants has been diverted to Kolkata due to bad weather.
After being held in the skies of Kathmandu for some time, the crew diverted the plane to Kolkata, saying that the 'holding fuel' was running out.
The Boeing 777F (freighter) aircraft operated by Qatar Airways under flight number QR8824 had arrived in Nepal from Doha.
The aircraft entered Nepal from Bhairahawa with the aim of transporting two live elephants. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft was seen holding for some time around the Kathmandu area at an altitude of about 25,000 feet and a speed of 323 knots. However, due to the lack of improvement in the weather, it did not go to Bhairahawa and went to Kolkata.
It is said that the visibility at Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa is currently only about 500 meters. The aircraft could not be landed immediately as at least 900 meters of visibility is required for landing.
The aircraft will return to Bhairahawa at 3:45 pm Nepali time if the weather improves. It was scheduled to land at Gautam Buddha International Airport at 11 am. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal had granted permission to Qatar Airways to operate the cargo charter flight as per its decision on Monday. The purpose of the flight is a live cargo charter flight to transport two live elephants. The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 347,814 kg.
The flight route has been fixed as Doha-Bhairahawa-Doha. There are only five crew members on board, including two pilots.
The elephants named 'Khagendra Prasad' and 'Rudrakali', which were gifted to the Qatari government by the Nepal government, were taken to Bhairahawa on Tuesday morning. The pair of elephants, which were formally bid farewell from Sauraha in Chitwan on Monday, were taken to Bhairahawa by overnight vehicle.
Preparations are underway to send both the elephants to Qatar from Gautam Buddha International Airport in Bhairahawa on Wednesday.
