Aviation Explained: Why is Nepal's aviation industry prone to plane crashes? Expert opinion

On January 15, 2023, an ATR 72-500 operated by Yeti Airlines crashed near Pokhara, Nepal, killing at least 70 passengers. The plane was travelling from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, to Pokhara, its second-largest city, which is nestled beneath the scenic Annapurna mountain range. The country's attractive geography may draw tourists, but it presents serious difficulties for aviation operators who must adapt to and traverse it. The air tragedy that occurred in Nepal on Sunday was the worst since 1992. The nation has been putting up an effort to address its aviation difficulties.

A challenging landscape

Topography has gifted Nepal with picturesque landscapes but posits unrivalled challenges to flight operations. Nepal, situated between India and China, is home to eight of the world's 14 highest mountains, including Mount Everest or Sagarmatha. For flight operations, it's an almost unrivalled, harsh environment with sudden weather changes that can make for hazardous conditions.

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Airports built in mountainous regions often need to have shorter runways that can only accommodate turboprop-powered regional aircraft rather than large jet airliners that can access larger cities in Nepal. As a result, aviation carriers in Nepal have a variety of aircraft on their fleets. These craft vary in condition, presenting potential safety hazards.

The ATR 72 aircraft is one typical aircraft used by Nepali carriers. It is a turboprop-powered regional aircraft with 44 and 78 passengers capacity. A joint venture of Airbus in France and Leonardo in Italy manufactures these aircraft. The aircraft involved in this crash had been in service for 15 years, a typical age for an aircraft. The final report on what happened to the tragic Yeti Airlines flight will take over a month to complete.

Growing and fast-changing aviation industry

Nepal has welcomed private investment into its aviation sector since 1992. Yeti Airlines is one of 20 domestic carriers. The airline, headquartered in Kathmandu, flies to ten domestic destinations using ATR 72-500 aircraft. In addition, 29 international airlines operate in Nepal's capital too.

With air travel in Nepal becoming more accessible and affordable, airport infrastructure development has remained far behind compared to air traffic growth. This has increased airports' congestion, fare competition, and decreased safety records.

In fact, the country has recorded at least 350 casualties associated with aeroplanes or helicopters since 2000, which has raised questions about the effectiveness of its aviation safety regulations. The aviation regulator in charge is the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, a government agency established in 1998.

Work on improvement of air safety

Nepal became a member of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in 1960. This membership obliges the country to abide by international conventions, ICAO's regulations, standards, and recommended practices in aviation safety.

While Nepal's aviation industry has made significant efforts to improve safety, unfortunately, the safety record still needs to match up with the requirements of other civil aviation authorities. In particular, the European Union banned all Nepali airlines from operating in the bloc's airspace in 2013 after ICAO raised a red flag. That ban still needs to be lifted, and Nepal remains on the EU Air Safety List.

Despite the tragic casualty record, Nepal has stepped up its efforts to improve aviation safety. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal has been focusing on improving safety in Nepali aviation. such as building improvements at airports, upgrading safety equipment, and fostering a positive safety culture by encouraging hazard reporting.

ICAO recognised Nepal's considerable improvement in safety measures and compliance with international standards in 2018. However, the country must continue work on its aviation reform to make its skies safe for everyone.

With PTI inputs