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BHADRAPUR, Jan 4: Flight services at Bhadrapur Airport in Jhapa have restarted following Friday night’s Buddha Air crash, with the runway length temporarily reduced for safety reasons.

Airport Chief Kishor Kumar Khatri said the normally 1,500-meter runway has been shortened by 100 meters, operating now at 1,400 meters. The adjustment was made because the rear section of the crashed ATR 72 remains off the runway and could obstruct operations. Pilots have been formally informed about the reduced usable length, which Khatri confirmed is sufficient for ATR aircraft.

Preliminary findings indicate weather was not a factor in the accident. Khatri said conditions were clear at 9:10 pm when the aircraft landed. “There was no weather-related issue on our side, so this does not appear to be the cause. It could be a technical fault, but a full investigation is needed to determine the exact reason,” he noted.

The Buddha Air ATR 72, flying from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, lost control during landing and overshot the runway by approximately 300 meters to the east, coming to rest in a field.

There were 51 passengers, four crew members, and one engineer on board. Seven people, including co-pilot Sushant Shrestha, sustained injuries in the incident.

People’s News Monitoring Service