Airport officials said all 68 passengers, including two minors and four crew members who were on board, have safely disembarked from the aircraft.
A runway excursion (RE) veers off or overruns the runway surface as per the description given by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialised agency of the United Nations that codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation.
These surface events occur while an aircraft is taking off or landing, and involve many factors ranging from unstable approaches to the condition of the runway.
The airlines said on its Twitter account that the aircraft took off from Nepalgunj Airport for Kathmandu, careened around 20 metres off the runway and onto the grass while landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport from the Koteshwor side.
We regret to inform you that Yeti Airlines Flight Number NYT-422 (9N-AMM) was involved in a runway excursion incident at KathmanduAirport at 11:05 Am today . All 66 passengers ( 64 adult and 2 infant) and 3 Flight Crew members onboard are safe and have been evacuated.
— Yeti Airlines (@FlyYeti) July 12, 2019
“ We would like to reiterate that all passengers and crew are safe and have not suffered any injuries due to the runway excursion.
— Yeti Airlines (@FlyYeti) July 12, 2019
Some netizens also made mention of the incident on social media
Yeti Airlines ATR 72-500 Aircraft has just skidded of runway at TIA. pic.twitter.com/1ls5UCAB27
— Shreedhar (@Shree737) July 12, 2019
Yeti Airlines ATR-72 (9N-AMM) ran off the side of the landing runway 02 at Kathmandu-Intl Airport (VNKT), Nepal. All on board flight #NYT422 from Nepalgunj escaped unhurt. Gusty winds and rain prevailed at the time. @GautamSkanda https://t.co/Ab8gskeVo4 https://t.co/KkJbYWMd2R pic.twitter.com/ZOGmhU2Uol
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) July 12, 2019
UPDATE: A medical officer at the Kathmandu Medical College said that the three individuals who were taken there after the incident had flown to Kathmandu for treatment and were not injured in Friday’s incident. https://t.co/4oJEmLXz8I
— The Kathmandu Post (@kathmandupost) July 12, 2019
The incident affected take-offs and landings of all inbound and outbound flights at the only international airport in Nepal. According to the airport, all incoming flights to Kathmandu have been diverted to other airports, as reported by the Bangladesh English language newspaper The Daily Star and the Nepal English newspaper Kathmandu Post.
Tribhuvan International Airport General Manager Raj Kumar Chhetri was quoted by The Daily Star, as saying that firemen, security personnel and rescue workers have been mobilised to remove the aircraft from the runway.
