Bhairahawa — Following disruptions in public transportation caused by ongoing disasters, Nepal Airlines Corporation operated a special relief flight to rescue and assist stranded passengers. The airline’s Airbus A320 narrow-body aircraft departed from Bhairahawa carrying 157 passengers to Kathmandu.

According to officials, the chartered flight was approved upon the request of Gautam Buddha International Airport’s management to assist elderly people, patients, and migrant workers stranded due to weather related disruptions. Although a flight was originally scheduled for 9 PM on Sunday, technical reasons forced the rescheduling to Monday .

Pratap Babu Tiwari, General Manager of Gautam Buddha International Airport, said the government and concerned authorities jointly decided to operate the relief flight in response to high passenger demand after domestic flights were suspended for a day due to bad weather. He added that even though regular Kathmandu-Bhairahawa flights were increased by other airlines, they were unable to accommodate all passengers, prompting the need for a special relief flight.