Plane crash in Pokhara: Nepal has a poor aviation safety record, here's WHY?

Pokhara plane crash: Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, and has a record of air accidents.

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On January 15, 2023, a Yeti Airlines operated ATR-72 aircraft with 68 passengers onboard crashed near Pokhara Airport while coming from Kathmandu. The plane was carrying 53 Nepalis, 5 Indians, 4 Russians, One Irish, 2 Koreans, 1 Argentinian and a French national, said the Airport authority. Of these, at least 40 people are confirmed dead while rescue operations are ongoing to locate the possible survivors. The plane was 15 years old, according to the flight tracking website FlightRadar24. The ATR72 is a widely used twin-engine turboprop plane manufactured by a joint venture of Airbus and Italy's Leonardo.

Reason for multiple plane crashes

This is not the first crash in Pokhara, and certainly not the first in Nepal. In fact, Nepal has a poor history of aviation safety, with multiple fatal accidents reported over the years. One of the reasons for the high number of crashes is the harsh terrain of the Indian's neighbouring country. Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including the world's highest peak, Mount Everest.

Yeti Airlines history

Nepal's high record of air accidents involves mostly small aircrafts, who find it difficult to land on a tough terrain. Yeti Airlines is a domestic airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal and has been in operations since last 25 years, with AOC received on 17 August 1998. Since 2019, Yeti Airlines is the first carbon neutral airline in Nepal and South Asia and is the parent company of Tara Air. Yeti Airlines has a fleet of six ATR72-500 planes, according to its website.

Fatal air crashes in Nepal

One May 29, 2022, a turboprop Twin Otter 9N-AET plane operated by Nepal's Tara Air went missing 15 min into the flight, losing communication with the ATC. The plane with 22 onboard, including 19 passengers and 3 crew members was travelling from Pokhara, a popular tourist and a pilgrimage site. All onboard the plane were later declared dead.

In a strange coincidence, a plane flying from Pokhara to Jomsom crashed near the Jomsom Airport on May 14, 2012, killing 15 people, making it the same month, and same route for the crash, 10 years apart, as the May 2022 crash. The 2012 flight was operated by Agni Air, Nepal's domestic airliner, flying a Dornier Do-228 plane. 

With agencies inputs