CAAN bans FlyDubai managers from entering TIA for spreading bird-hit rumor

Published On: April 25, 2023 04:05 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

KATHMANDU, April 25: The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the regulator of the country’s aviation sector, has banned Fly Dubai’s managers from entering the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) “for spreading rumors of a bird-hit involving a FlyDubai aircraft that took off from TIA on Monday evening.

At 9:20 PM on Monday, after a problem occurred in Flight no. FDZ576 (B737- 800) Kathmandu-Dubai flight of Fly Dubai, it made a round in the sky of Kathmandu and reached Dhading. Later, the pilot informed the air traffic controllers (ATC) at TIA that the problem had been resolved, and the aircraft flew towards its destination as per the checklist.

Despite an engine problem, the aircraft took off for its destination. But the official page of FlyDubai claimed that the aircraft had been hit by a bird.

However, CAAN rejected the FlyDubai claim outright. In fact, after confirming that there was no incident of a bird-hit, CAAN has taken action against two FlyDubai managers “for spreading rumors.”

According to CAAN, the Country Manager and Airport Manager of Fly Dubai have been banned from entering the airport and their airport passes have also been deactivated.