DHAKA: A Kuala Lumpur-bound Malindo Air flight suffered a runway excursion on Thursday night after an aborted takeoff in Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, reports Kathmandu Post. 

There were 139 people, including 7 crew members, on board the aircraft. No casualty was reported. The airport became forced to halt all international flights following the incident.

The Boeing 737-900, registration 9M-LNJ, was cleared for takeoff from runway 20.  “The flight captain aborted takeoff at the final moment after he saw an error at the monitor inside the cockpit,” said Raj Kumar Chettri, general manager of TIA, quoting the captain.

The aircraft apparently couldn't stop because of the take-off speed and load at the final moment and overran 50m south (Koteshwor side) from the runway threshold and rested in a grassland at around 22:08 pm (local time), Chettri said. 

However, the aircraft has not suffered any damage but the front tyre has been stuck in the mud.

Following the incident, the airport operations have been halted and the flights en route to Kathmandu diverted to alternative airports.

In March 2015, a Turkish Airlines aircraft also suffered a runway excursion during landing at TIA that had closed the country's sole international airport for four days creating chaos among travellers.

On March 12 this year, at least 51 people were killed as a flight of US-Bangla Airlines from Bangladesh burst into flames at the Kathmandu airport, leaving 26 Bangladeshis, 22 Nepalese, and a Chinese national dead.

BDST: 1333 HRS, APR 20, 2018
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