Deflated but not defeated.
In a technique seemingly reserved for automobiles, Nepal airline passengers were forced to push their airplane after a popped tire stranded it on the tarmac. A video of the “Airplane”-esque scene boasts more than 800,000 views on TikTok.
The surreal scenario occurred after a wheel allegedly burst on a Tara Air jet that had just landed at Bajura Airport from Simkot in Humla, the Indian Express reported. As a result, the lightweight Twin Otter aircraft was left stranded in the middle of the runway, preventing other planes from departing. As the facility lacked the tools to move the plane, passengers and security personnel had to come together to resolve the situation.
The resulting 20-minute footage shows the intrepid team pushing the green-and-white jet down the runway like ants with a caterpillar as bystanders cheer them on.
Salvation finally came after another plane arrived from Nepalganj carrying spare tires and engineers, the Indian Express reported. They outfitted the marooned aircraft with a new wheel, and then both jets flew to Nepalganj.
Suffice it to say, social media was impressed by the impromptu tow-team’s resourcefulness.
“Hats off to those all pushing to move,” wrote one fan under a Twitter repost of the clip. “Ready to face the challenges.”
Another gushed: “Great ..i always consider Nepalese hard working and supportive peoples.”
Meanwhile, the video’s uploader, who is Nepali themself, joked in the caption that this calamity could only happen in Nepal.
This isn’t the first time airplane passengers had to manually move their own aircraft. In a similar incident in 2014, travelers in Siberia were forced to get out and push their plane off the runway after it froze to the tarmac amid subzero temperatures.
