Due to the lack of aircraft, the corporation canceled Wednesday night's flight to Dubai, while flights to Narita, Japan, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, scheduled for Thursday, have also been canceled.
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The international flight schedule has been affected when two wide-body aircraft of the national flag carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation were grounded at the same time. About 1,500 passengers were stranded in both directions, according to the corporation officials.
Due to the lack of aircraft, the corporation canceled Wednesday night's Dubai flight, while flights to Narita, Japan, and Dammam, Saudi Arabia, scheduled for Thursday, have also been canceled. According to the corporation's operations department, a wide-body aircraft returning to Kathmandu from Narita on Wednesday was grounded after being hit by a 'lightning strike' in the valley. The aircraft is currently undergoing a damage assessment at the Kathmandu airport.
On the other hand, another wide-body aircraft was sent to Bangkok on Wednesday for an engine check (boroscope inspection). The aircraft is being tested at Thai Airways' MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility, the corporation said.
The plane had reached Bangkok with passengers yesterday and was supposed to return yesterday but had to be stopped there due to technical reasons. According to the corporation, efforts are being made to return the plane to Kathmandu by tomorrow.
The plane on the Narita-Kathmandu flight had to make a 'go-around' due to adverse local weather conditions while landing at Tribhuvan Airport. During that time, a problem was observed in the outer part of the left engine and a technical check is currently being carried out in coordination with the aircraft manufacturer Airbus and engine manufacturer Rolls Royce, engineers have said.
According to corporation spokesperson Devendra Pun, the repair work of both widebodies is being carried out at a rapid pace. 'Efforts are being made to bring the plane in Bangkok to Kathmandu as soon as possible,' he said. 'The passengers who were preparing for the Dubai flight on Wednesday night have been accommodated in a hotel in Kathmandu at the corporation's expense. Some passengers with urgent work are being sent to their destinations through alternative airline flights.'
The corporation currently has two widebody and two narrowbody aircraft. After the two wide-body aircraft were grounded together, limited flights are being operated using a narrow-body aircraft with a capacity of 158 seats. The wide-body aircraft has 256 economy and 18 business class seats.
Nepal Airlines Corporation has been operating regular flights to international destinations including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Doha, Dammam, Bangkok, Narita, Dubai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The current technical problems have directly affected passengers at those destinations and flights are not operating as per the scheduled schedule.
