Yeti Air ATR 72 Skidded off Runway; Kathmandu Int’l Closed

Nepal’s only international airport, Kathmandu Tribhuvan Airport, was temporarily shut down after a Yeti Air ATR 72-500 domestic flight with 66 passengers on board skidded off the runway while landing, injuring two passengers, officials said.

The incident happened at 11.05 when the Yeti airline’s flight NYT-422 (Reg: 9N-AMM) from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu skidded off the recently repaired runway at the Tribhuvan International Airport, after it became slippery due to the continuous downpour since morning.

“The aircraft skidded 20 metres off the runway and landed at nearby grassland,” a senior official said.

We regret to inform you that Yeti Airlines Flight Number NYT-422 (9N-AMM) was involved in a runway excursion incident at KathmanduAirport at 11:05 Am today . All 66 passengers ( 64 adult and 2 infant) and 3 Flight Crew members onboard are safe and have been evacuated.

— Yeti Airlines (@FlyYeti) July 12, 2019

According to the airport authorities, the work to remove the ATR 72-500 from the runway was underway and the airport is shut until 17:00.

The 9N-AMM ATR72-500 aircraft has been successfully recovered & removed to remote parking bay. TIA Kathmandu airport is open. We would like to thank all those involved in the aircraft recovery efforts.We apologise for the inconvenience caused to all those affected. Thank you.

— Yeti Airlines (@FlyYeti) July 12, 2019

During the incident two of the passengers sustained minor injuries, the official said.

All the incoming flights were transferred to other countries while the outgoing flights were halted.

The incident happened as Nepal has been witnessing heavy rainfall since early Friday morning. Runway excursions are common in the airport’s single 3-km-long runway. Since April, the airport has been undergoing a runway upgrade program.

In March 2018, a US-Bangla Airlines aircraft crashed and burst into flames while landing at the Kathmandu, killing more than 50 people.