Nepal's Buddha Air flight with 55 onboard skids off runway
A major accident was averted after a turboprop passenger aircraft of Buddha Air carrying 55 people veered off the runway while landing at an airport in Nepal’s Bhadrapur.
According to the airline, all passengers and crew onboard escaped unhurt, though the incident triggered panic moments after touchdown.
The plane carried 51 passengers and four crew members. It came to Bhadrapur from the capital Kathmandu.
The flight No. 9N-AMF shows on trackers as an ATR 72-500 turboprop passenger aircraft.
The airline said technical and relief teams have been dispatched from Kathmandu. “The flight number 901 from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, aircraft 9N-AMF, has veered off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport. There were 51 passengers on board the aircraft. All passengers and crew [4 persons] are safe. A technical and relief team is being dispatched from Kathmandu on another aircraft," the airline posted on X.
The aircraft overshot the runway by around 200 metres, coming to a halt near a rivulet and sustaining minor damage in the incident.
In a post on X, the Nepal Police said that on January 2, 2026, a Buddha Air flight carrying 51 passengers and four crew members from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur Airport in Jhapa district met with an accident during the landing process. All passengers and crew were safely rescued by Nepal Police along with other concerned authorities, and no casualties were reported.
Nepal aviation’s safety record has often come under scrutiny. In July 2024, a Bombardier CRJ200LR of Saurya Airlines crashed after taking off from Kathmandu, killing 18 out of the 19 on board.
????????⚡ Jhapa, Nepal: Buddha Air confirmed that its ATR aircraft operating from Kathmandu veered off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport in Nepal.
— Osint World (@OsiOsint1) January 2, 2026
⚠️ All 51 passengers and 4 crew members are safe. The aircraft reportedly stopped about 300 meters east of the runway. pic.twitter.com/ZKxJqrAF9h