SINGAPORE: A Singapore Airlines flight bound for Kathmandu in Nepal on Tuesday (Sept 9) has been cancelled, after violent protests in Nepal forced the closure of the airport in the capital.
Flight SQ442 was initially scheduled to take off at 6.50pm on Sept 9 and was expected to land in Kathmandu at 9.32pm (11.47pm, Malaysia time).
The Changi Airport flight information website now shows the flight status as “cancelled”.
The civil aviation authority of Nepal said earlier in the day that Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport has been closed due to the unrest.
Violent demonstrations have rocked Nepal over a social media ban, with 19 people killed and more than 100 injured after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm Parliament on Sept 8.
The government lifted the ban on Sept 9, but demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and clashed with police.
Protesters said they were also frustrated with what they perceived as the government’s failure to tackle corruption and boost economic opportunities.
The country’s prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned the same day, his aide said.
The unrest is the worst in decades in the poor Himalayan country wedged between India and China.
Nepal has struggled with political instability and economic uncertainty since protests led to the abolition of its monarchy in 2008.
The Straits Times has contacted Singapore Airlines for more information. - The Straits Times/ANN
