Yet another plane crash in Nepal claims multiple lives

A plane carrying 19 people crashed shortly after taking off from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport. The flight, operated by Saurya Airlines, was en route to Pokhara when the plane “skidded off the runway” in the eastern section of the airport.

Another plane crash in Nepal

The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara city in the Himalayas for maintenance checks. Authorities have recovered the bodies of all 18 victims.

Footage showed firefighters battling the flames as thick black smoke rises into the sky, engulfing the airport while rescue operations continued. The cause of the crash remains unclear, though visibility was low due to monsoon conditions.

Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the spokesman for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, told the Evening Standard:

“Only the captain was rescued alive and is receiving treatment at a hospital.”

The notorious history of Nepal plane crashes

Since 1955, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has reported 68 plane accidents, with 44 being fatal.

It was a Bombardier CRJ 200 jet which crashed and burned during take-off in Kathmandu. It follows the deadly January 2023 crash of a Yeti Airlines plane in Pokhara, which killed 72 passengers. Nepal’s treacherous terrain, including the narrow valley and tabletop runway of Tribhuvan International Airport, contributes to these frequent disasters.

Over the past three decades, Nepal has seen 27 deadly plane crashes, killing more than 600 people. Notably, in 1992, a Pakistan International Airlines crash near Kathmandu killed a shocking 167 people. All Nepali airports, including Tribhuvan International in Kathmandu and the newly opened Pokhara airport, possess a challenging landscape which makes navigating difficult.

In 2019, a Bangladeshi airliner crashed at Tribhuvan Airport, killing 51 people. In this instance, investigators did confirm that it was a misalignment with the runway as the disoriented pilot desperately tried to land before crashing. The Pokhara airport is set against the Annapurna Mountain range. This adds to the risk in Nepal’s dangerous aviation environment.

Nepal’s reputation for deadly flying

Nepal relies on small aircraft like Twin Otters and Dorniers for their short runways and high altitudes. Plus, the mountainous environment and low air density proves a challenge for aircraft performance. This makes landing and take-off extremely risky.

The pilots face limited manoeuvring space and often rely on visual flight rules (VFR), which are difficult to follow in changing weather. For instance, in 2018, 51 out of 71 passengers died in a Bangladeshi airliner crash due to cloudy weather. But that cannot be the only blame as the country’s aging fleet lacks modern technology and sees operators even ignoring safety regulations.

Nepal’s aviation safety reputation suffers from several issues. The country deals with outdated infrastructure, including old aircrafts and subpar airports. Not to mentions the challenging mountainous terrain and unpredictable weather which may create a hazardous environment for pilots. But this would be less severe with the correct pilot training, something Nepali airlines lacks. Evidently, there is a shortage of experienced pilots which leaves Nepal with less skilled crews.

Moreover, limited investment in modern technology and regulatory oversight exacerbates these problems. This could be due to economic constraints impeding effective enforcement of safety protocols. Therefore, Nepal’s aviation sector still faces major safety challenges.

What do the aviation experts say?

Harsh Vardhan, a Delhi-based aviation expert, has stated the link between Nepal’s deadly air disasters to privatisation in 1992 and inadequate infrastructure. He claims that safety was relatively good before privatisation, but the rapid growth outpaced regulatory organisation. He said that:

The moment you have pilots who gain some experience on their craft and the machines, they immediately get picked up by bigger airlines … so these aircraft or operations have become virtually a training ground for them. In terrain like Nepal, pilots require longer experience” to cope with the demands of the weather and associated events

As Nepal relies on a struggling aviation sector, improving safety standards and investing in infrastructure must be a top priority to prevent future disasters.

Consequently, it is believed that the ongoing issues with Nepal’s aviation safety is potentially one of the causes of the crash on the 24 July 2024.

The lack of modern technology and experienced pilots remains critical. Furthermore, the region needs better regulatory oversight and updated equipment to ensure pilots can battle the demanding terrain and weather conditions.

Featured image via YouTube