A Nepal-based airline said a plane landed at an airport 250 miles from its intended destination due to a communications mix-up.
A Dec. 18 Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport had been scheduled to land at the southern city of Janakpur, but instead traveled to the city of Pokhara, about 250 miles away.
Buddha Air's flight U4505 was cleared to take off for Janakpur airport in the plains. Passengers were taken in and the plane took off, with its estimated arrival time at Janakpur by 3:15 pm.https://t.co/9VhY1e8G7U
— FinancialXpress (@FinancialXpress) December 20, 2020
Astha Basnet, executive officer at Buddha Air, told CNN the error stemmed from "lapses in communication and failure to follow detailed standard operating procedures."
The wonderful and marvellous,Natural places in Nepal#Visit_Nepal_2021 ?? pic.twitter.com/2WNZea80Ju
— ??Na Prasad Dahal??(प्रसाद ) (@naprasad4441) December 23, 2020
Basnet said the airline was granted special permission to take off from Pokhara and land at Janakpur -- a few hours behind schedule. The flight's 69 passengers arrived safely at their intended destination, the airline said.
Birendra Bahadur Basnet, managing director of the carrier, said a committee has been formed to investigate the mistake.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
