Kathmandu airport almost sees another disaster: Plane skids off runway; none hurt

The Kathmandu airport came close to witness yet another air disaster on Thursday, April 19, as a Malaysian plane carrying 139 people met a failed take-off and skidded off the runway into the mud, causing the airport to shut its operations for over 12 hours till the aircraft was removed around Friday noon.

Nobody was hurt in the mishap but several passengers were left stranded at the airport since the incoming flights were diverted.

The incident happened when the Malindo Airlines Boeing 737 skidded off the runway after its pilots detected a problem and aborted the take-off, airport authorities said. The plane came to a halt in the mud - about 100 feet from the runway. The reason for the mishap was not immediately known.

In March, a plane of the privately owned US-Bangla Airlines from Bangladesh crashed at the Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu, killing over 51 people besides injuring many.

In March 2015, a Turkish Airlines flight had also skidded off the runway at the Kathmandu airport, resulting the airport to remain shut for four days.