A Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport to Janakpur mistakenly flew to Pokhara instead, about 250 miles from the correct destination. Photo by Solundir/Wikimedia Commons
Astha Basnet, executive officer at Buddha Air, told CNN the error stemmed from "lapses in communication and failure to follow detailed standard operating procedures."
Basnet said the airline was granted special permission to take off from Pokhara and land at Janakpur -- a few hours behind schedule. The flight's 69 passengers arrived safely at their intended destination, the airline said.
Birendra Bahadur Basnet, managing director of the carrier, said a committee has been formed to investigate the mistake.
