Flydubai flight diverted to Lucknow after hailstorm shuts Kathmandu runway

A flydubai flight carrying 161 passengers from Dubai to Kathmandu was diverted to Lucknow on Wednesday after a hailstorm rendered the runway at Kathmandu airport unavailable, the Lucknow airport said in a statement.The flight, FZ539, was scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu at 3 pm but was diverted to Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow as a precautionary operational measure.The aircraft landed safely in Lucknow, where the airport provided the necessary operational support and coordination to facilitate its onward journey. The diversion was necessitated by the unavailability of the runway at Kathmandu airport due to the hailstorm, according to the airport statement."Lucknow International Airport facilitated the diversion of a flydubai flight FZ539, operating from Dubai to Kathmandu, following the unavailability of the runway at Kathmandu Airport due to a hailstorm," the statement said. Following the completion of the necessary ground formalities and operational coordination, the aircraft departed from Lucknow at 4.36 pm for Kathmandu.Lucknow airport said it provided the required operational assistance to ensure the aircraft's safe onward departure. The flight subsequently resumed its journey to Kathmandu after completing the necessary procedures at the airport. The flight was carrying 161 passengers at the time of the diversion. The airport statement described the diversion as a precautionary operational measure following the weather-related unavailability of the runway at its intended destination.- Ends