KATHMANDU, APRIL 25

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has taken disciplinary action against two officials of Fly Dubai for disseminating misleading information regarding a supposed bird strike incident that allegedly occurred during a Kathmandu-Dubai flight last night.

Jagnnath Niroula, CAAN spokesperson, stated that the country manager and airport manager of the company have been barred from entering the airport premises until further notice, in response to the conflicting information regarding communication between the air traffic control and the pilot of Fly Dubai, as well as the official statement released by the company later.

'The pilot of the Fly Dubai flight had reported a problem with one of the engines to the ATC tower at Tribhuvan International Airport. However, in contrast to the pilot's report, the official page of Dubai media office later quoted a spokesperson stating that the flight had experienced a bird strike during takeoff at TIA. But, we did not find any evidence to support the airlines' claim, and decided to take action against the managers of the airline,' Niroula told The Himalayan Times.

'CAAN has deactivated the airport passes of the country manager and airport manager, thus preventing them from entering the airport. Furthermore, a committee has been formed to investigate the incident and gather more information, in order to take appropriate action,' he added.

Fly Dubai officials refused to comment on the story citing ongoing investigation and the mandatory provision of requiring permission from the head office to speak to the media.

Last night, a Boeing 737 flight carrying 168 passengers on board from Kathmandu to Dubai experienced an issue during takeoff at around 9:20pm. As a precautionary measure, the flight was put on hold in Nepali airspace for 20 minutes to assess the situation. Once the issue was resolved, the flight was able to safely resume its journey towards Dubai.

People around Koteshwor, Imadol, and Dhapakhel areas reported hearing loud bangs as the flight FZ 576 took off, which caused many to rush out in panic. Videos of sparks flying out of one of the engines were widely circulated in the social media shortly after.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 26, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.