Kathmandu: A Thai AirAsia flight from Bangkok to Kathmandu landed at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, Nepal, without the necessary winter-season flight clearance from Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).
The aircraft was held in the air for over an hour before being permitted to land.
The Thai AirAsia flight, originally scheduled to arrive at 11:50 AM local time, had only secured flight clearance through October 26, under the summer schedule.
As of today, October 27, the winter flight schedule officially began, requiring all airlines to obtain updated permits. Thai AirAsia, however, did not have the required authorization to operate under the new winter schedule.
According to Jagannath Niraula, General Manager of TIA, the airline had not taken the required permission for winter operations. “All other airlines flying to Nepal have secured their winter permits, but Thai AirAsia arrived without one,” Niraula told Biznessnews.com.
The TIA initially planned to deny landing clearance, intending for the aircraft to return to Bangkok. However, CAAN granted permission as the flight was already within Nepali airspace and holding to land.
According to CAAN, it has decided to suspend all flights of Thai AirAsia in Nepal until the next notice.
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