A Buddha Air turboprop aircraft overshot the runway while landing at Nepal’s Bhadrapur Airport in Jhapa district late Friday night, but all passengers and crew escaped safely, officials and the airline said.
The aircraft, operating flight number 901 from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, was carrying 51 passengers and four crew members when the incident occurred at around 9 pm.
According to Tribhuvan International Airport spokesperson Rinji Sherpa, the plane “slipped off the ground while attempting to land at Bhadrapur airport” and overshot the runway by around 200 metres, coming to rest near a rivulet and sustaining minor damage.
“All the passengers are safe and have been evacuated from the site,” Sherpa told PTI over the phone.
Nepal Police also confirmed that everyone onboard was rescued safely.
“The Buddha Air flight that took off from Kathmandu with 51 passengers and 4 crew members to Bhadrapur Airport in Jhapa District met with an accident during the landing process at Bhadrapur Airport. All individuals have been safely rescued by Nepal Police and the concerned authorities,” Nepal Police said in a post on X.
On Saturday morning, Buddha Air issued an update on its official X handle, expressing concern over the incident and gratitude to rescue agencies. “We are deeply concerned about the incident where the aircraft that departed from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur yesterday veered off the runway. We express our sincere gratitude to the Nepal Police, Nepali Army, Civil Aviation Authority, and Buddha Air staff who worked with utmost diligence in the rescue operations at that time,” the airline said.
Providing details on passenger condition, the airline added: “Of the 51 passengers on board the aircraft, those who sustained minor injuries have received primary treatment and have safely returned home. We express our commitment to fully cooperate with the Civil Aviation Authority in the detailed investigation of this incident.”
Buddha Air said the aircraft veered off the runway during landing. “The flight number 901 from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, aircraft 9N-AMF, has veered off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport. There were 51 passengers on board the aircraft. All passengers and crew [4 persons] are safe,” the airline said in a statement posted on X on Friday night.
The airline added that support teams were being mobilised. “A technical and relief team is being dispatched from Kathmandu on another aircraft,” the statement said.
Flight tracking data identified the aircraft as an ATR 72-500 turboprop. The plane had taken off from Kathmandu at 8:23 pm and was scheduled to remain overnight at Bhadrapur Airport before returning to the capital the following morning, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Authorities said further details would be shared after inspections and technical assessments are completed.
The incident comes amid continued scrutiny of Nepal’s aviation safety record following a series of serious accidents in recent years. In July 2024, a Saurya Airlines Bombardier CRJ200LR crashed after taking off from Kathmandu, killing 18 of the 19 people on board. In January 2023, an ATR 72 operated by Yeti Airlines crashed while landing at Pokhara, killing all 68 passengers and four crew members after the pilot accidentally feathered the engines just before the crash.