A Bengaluru-bound Nepal Airlines aircraft was forced to return to the Tribhuvan International Airport here on Saturday after its blades on the right wing were damaged, apparently due to a bird hit.
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The A320 aircraft of Nepal’s flag carrier landed safely at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) with technicians examining the aircraft, TIA spokesperson Teknath Sitaula said.
The flight took off from TIA at 1:45 pm, before being forced to return to the same airport 25 minutes later, news portal Nepal News reported.
The aircraft’s blades on the right wing were damaged, officials said. Passengers on flight RA-225 reported hearing a loud noise, the Himalayan Times newspaper quoted TIA sources as saying.
“The aircraft was diverted to Kathmandu suspecting a bird strike in the course of take-off,” Sitaula said.
Passengers have left for Bengaluru from TIA in another flight, airport officials said.
The A320 aircraft has a maximum capacity of upto 180 passengers.