Yeti Airlines Accident, Why Do Planes Often Fall In Nepal?

Fleet ATR-72 Yeti Airlines aircraft. (Wikimedia Commons/TMLN123)

YOGYAKARTA The incident of the crash of a Yeti Airlines plane carrying 72 passengers in Pokhara, Nepal on Sunday, January 15, 2023, adds to the world's poor flight defects in the country. According to a Channel News Asia report, there have been at least 10 aircraft accidents in Nepal in the past decade. So, why do planes often crash in Nepal?

Reasons why Planes often fall in Nepal

Nepal is said to be one of the areas with a high risk of flying for aircraft because it has some of the most remote and complicated runways in the world. This condition is exacerbated by bad weather, low visibility and mountainous topography.

According to a report by Nepal's Civil Aviation Authority in 2019, Nepal has an extreme topography and is an extraordinary challenge facing pilots.

"The diversity of weather patterns along with extreme topography is a major challenge in the operational sector of aircraft in Nepal," the report said, addressing CNN, Tuesday, January 17, 2023.

Nepal itself is home to 8 of the 14 highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest. The landscape makes air navigation very difficult, especially when the weather is bad.

This situation is even more complicated because flights there can only be done with small planes that can reach remote and mountainous locations.

Based on a report by the Civil Aviation Authority, 19 passengers are more at risk of having an accident.

Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu is the main transit center in Nepal. From there, many small planes departed.

Furthermore, the airport in the city of Lukla, northeast of Nepal, is often referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world. Its position on the mountain also makes the wind blow stronger and the clouds are thicker, two things that interfere with the visibility factor in flight.

In addition, Lukla Airport also has a short and extreme runway. The runway of this airport is located on the side of the cliffs between the mountains. The end even immediately bordered the ravine.

In addition to extreme topography, the risk of aviation in Nepal is even greater when investing in old aircraft maintenance is also lacking.

In 2015, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency, prioritized Nepal in its aviation safety implementation assistance program (Aviation Safety Implementation Assistance Partnership).

Two years later, ICAO and Nepal announced a partnership to address security concerns.

Although Nepal has stepped up flight safety standards in recent years, the risk of the plane crashing is still huge. This is evidenced by a number of incidents of the plane crashing afterwards.

In May 2022, a twin-otter Tara Air plane traveling from Pokhara to Jomson crashed on the hill of Lete, Nepal. The tragedy killed 22 people.

Furthermore, in March 2018, there was also an accident when a Bangla Airlines plane was about to land at Kathmandu Airport. At that time, 51 passengers were reportedly killed.

Most recently, a Yeti Airlines ATR 72 plane crashed on a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara. The plane carried 72 people and none of the passengers survived.

With information about why planes often crash in Nepal. Updates on the latest developments are only on VOI.id.