Technical Problems Made Them Take The Goat By The Horns

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures and an airline, apparently, is no exception. Plagued by persistent mechanical difficulties with one of its Boeing 757s, officials with Nepal Airlines tried taking repairs to a new level Tuesday.

Two goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft to appease the Hindu sky god, Akash Bhairab.

The carrier only has two Boeing aircraft and has had to suspend some services recently due to the continuing problem, according to Reuters. The carrier provides flights to five Asian cities.

Without detailing a specific problem, senior airline official Raju K.C. said, "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights."

Local media reported the problem as electrical in nature.

The ceremony, common in Nepal, took place at the country's only international airport in Kathmandu and followed Hindu traditions.

It's not that unusual to see a sacrifice going on," said Capt. Robert Norris, a former American Airlines pilot of who has gone climbing in Nepal. "We may say a small prayer ourselves when we take off. It's just a part of their culture," he said.

Nepal isn't the only country where an animal had best be careful when loitering around an airport.

As ANN reported in December, Turkish airline mechanics sacrificed a camel on the tarmac at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, in celebration of the airline ridding itself of some troublesome Avro airliners. The supervisor who authorized the celebratory slaughter was subsequently, well, axed.

FMI: www.royalnepal.com