December 17: Buddha Air, one of the leading private airline companies of Nepal, is facing problems with its aircraft of late. The company carries passengers three times more than other airline companies of Nepal. However, Buddha Air has been facing recurring problems with its aircraft. The problem was repeated once again on Thursday.

An aircraft of Buddha Air that took off from Bharatpur for Kathmandu had to make an emergency landing soon after take-off due to a technical problem in the aircraft’s engine.

Buddha Air said in a press statement that the Beechcraft with call sign 9N-AEE landed safely at Bharatpur Airport after a technical problem in the aircraft’s engine was reported after the take-off.

Altogether 19 passengers including two children were on board the plane. The crew members included a captain, a co-pilot and an air hostess. Buddha Air carried the passengers to Kathmandu with another aircraft.

Earlier on September 27, an aircraft belonging to Buddha Air had faced a technical problem during its flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar.

A total of 73 passengers were travelling on the plane, which reported landing gear problems. The aircraft returned back to Kathmandu and made a safe landing after consuming fuel while it circled the valley for some hours.

In another such incident, a Buddha Air aircraft reported problems during Kathmandu-Bhairahawa flight on December 8.  The U4-810 aircraft of Buddha Air made an emergency landing during the occasion. The aircraft was forced to land after a technical problem emerged on the right propeller of the aircraft. Buddha Air informed that it sent the passengers to Kathmandu through another aircraft.

An official of Buddha Air said these incidents have come to the public’s attention because the company maintains transparency and issues notices regarding minor incidents. The official maintained the company has given high priority to technical security.

 “We are more alert regarding such issues because we have a large fleet and we serve more passengers compared to other airline companies,” said the official, adding, “The aircraft are properly checked while they are on ground and even during flights.”