After a gruelling 85 hours the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) which was shortly cut off from its operation after Airbus A330 of Turkish Airlines skidded off the runway on Wednesday has been re-opened on Saturday late evening. Nepal Airlines became the first to take off for Delhi at 9:30 p.m. where more flights were scheduled in the evening. Around 15,000 passengers of 80 international flights in and out from the TIA were stranded following the crash landing.
According to the technicians, “On Saturday evening the aircraft was pushed onto the runway. It was stranded on the grassland and due to lack of proper equipment was operation of TIA was halted. Due to emergency measures the wheels of the TK726 had to be bogged down in the grassland that was damp because of the rain and could not be removed.
Nepal government had requested the Indian government to assist in transporting the removal kit to tow the stranded jet. A technical team had lifted the aircraft off the grassland by using airlifting bags brought in Kathmandu by an Indian Air Force plane on Thursday. Once the aircraft was lifted off the ground, it was pushed onto the runway and then onto to the parking area.
Civil Aviation Authority Nepal (CAAN) has confirmed that the TIA will remain open 24 hours for three days.