A Nepal Airlines aircraft bound for Kathmandu has been grounded in Dubai due to a hydraulic issue related to the landing gear.

The airline’s narrow-body aircraft ‘Lumbini’ took off from Tribhuvan International Airport at 11:52 pm on Friday. The flight was scheduled to return from Dubai at 3:55 am local time.

“A problem with the hydraulic system related to the landing gear was identified, and we are currently searching for spare parts,” said Manoj Kumar Sah, the airline’s information officer and spokesperson (technical). “We are working to acquire the parts and bring the aircraft back.”

The plane was scheduled to land in Kathmandu at 9:45 am on Saturday. However, with no spare aircraft available, 150 passengers, mostly Nepali workers returning home, have been left stranded in Dubai. An airline official confirmed that the passengers have been accommodated in a hotel at the airline’s expense.

As Nepal Airlines lacks its own technical support team in Dubai, they have an agreement with Kuwait Airways to handle any technical issues that may arise. Once the necessary spare parts are sourced, Kuwait Airways engineers will carry out the repairs.

Due to the incident, one of the scheduled flights — either the 1:30 pm flight to Delhi or the 5:45 pm flight to Hong Kong — will face delays, according to the official.