Canine rules airport

PATHLAIYA: Spotting a dog running helter-skelter on the runway, the plane belonging to Buddha Air (557), which was about to land at Bara's Simara Airport, suddenly veered off its direction towards the sky.

The crew spotted a street dog scurrying along the runway prompting them to make a U-turn minute before touching the ground. The plane had left Kathmandu for Simara at 2:30 pm today.

For 20 minutes, the plane kept hovering about the Simara sky, waiting for the security on ground to chase away the dog. But the dog was still running helter-skelter on the runway.

A group of people, who had flocked to the Bara's Simara Airport to receive their relatives on Sunday afternoon, were scared to death when the plane suddenly veered off its direction without landing.

The passengers on board said they were scared to death when they felt a bumpy take off after the plane nearly touched the runway.

"We're terrified when the plane suddenly got airborne after nearly touching the runway," said Shiva Gaunle, senior journalist, who was on board, to take part in a programme in Simara.

When the plane went on swirling continuously over the sky, seven passengers inside it started yelling.

The crew, however, consoled the screaming passengers that the plane would land soon after a small obstruction was removed.

The plane finally landed in its third attempt.

Right activist Sushil Pyakurel, who was on board the plane, said the crew members had planned to return to Kathmandu in case the third attempt of landing failed.

It later became apparently clear that the dog had entered the runaway through a crack in the fence surrounding the airport.

But the chief of the airport Bikram Gautam refuted the claim and said the dog had entered through the airport gate.

"The dog had been hanging about the runway since today morning. We tried to chase it away but couldn't," he said.

“The dog, left the runway just as the security personnel were about to shoot it,” he added.