A Buddha Air flight en route to Chandragadhi Airport in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu, made an emergency landing at TIA on Monday, January 6, after experiencing a flame-out in its left engine.  

Flight BHA953, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members, departed TIA at 10:37 AM local time (0453 UTC), according to a statement from the TIA office. The aircraft had flown 43 nautical miles east of Kathmandu when it encountered the engine issue. It was diverted back, operating on a single engine and declaring a full emergency. The two airports are located 161 nautical miles apart.  

“From the Gurans point, the flight used the VOR approach to land safely at TIA at 11:15 AM local time (0530 UTC),” the statement added.  

At 11:28 AM local time, Buddha Air announced via the social media platform X that a separate aircraft was being arranged to transport the passengers to their destination.  

TIA briefly suspended operations following the incident, officials confirmed.