The first accident was in 1955, deadly plane accidents are happening continuously in Nepal, pilots control the flight by looking from the cockpit

Many people have died in a terrible plane crash at Nepal’s international airport. This plane of Saurya Airlines was about to fly from Kathmandu to Pokhara but it crashed during take-off. Earlier in January last year, a big air accident had also happened in which all the people on board the plane were killed. The Civil Aviation Authority of this country has recorded at least 104 plane accidents since 1955. 44 of these were fatal, in which more than nine hundred people died. The recent accident is not included in this. Many times the question arises that why so many air accidents happen in Nepal.

Extremely dangerous landscape

In 2019, the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority itself released a safety report in which it admitted that the geographical structure of the country makes flying aeroplanes difficult. Of the 14 highest mountains in the world, 8 are in this small country. Everest is also one of them. It attracts tourists, but is equally dangerous, especially for flying.

This problem increases further during bad weather. During the monsoon, Nepal’s aviation industry can rely on only a few types of aircraft that can take off or land in limited space.

There is a greater fear of small planes crashing

Nepal Aviation relies more on small airplanes to reach places situated in the mountains. These do not require much space for take-off and landing. However, this is also a reason for trouble. According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, planes with 19 seater or similar capacity are more likely to get unbalanced and meet with accidents.

One of the world’s most risky airports is located here

Nepal’s Tenzing Hillary Airport, also known as Lukla, is considered one of the world’s most dangerous airports. Built near Mount Everest in the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, this airport is at an altitude of 9,325 feet. Due to the very short runway, only small planes can land here. It also has mountains on one side and a deep ravine on the other. This is the reason why this airport in north-eastern Nepal is called the world’s most dangerous airport.

Question on safety standard too

Despite warnings, old aircrafts are still being used in Nepal. These are not reliable during bad weather. Keeping this in mind, a year ago the International Civil Aviation Organization partnered with Nepal to prevent plane accidents there. Since then, safety standards have increased, but accidents are still happening.

Navigation is done by looking from the cockpit

According to a report by Al Jazeera, pilots in Nepal still follow Visual Flight Rule (VFR) for domestic flights. This means that they navigate and control the flight by looking outside. In such a situation, if the weather outside suddenly deteriorates, the situation can also worsen. Let us tell you that in a country like Nepal, where the weather changes every moment, VFR technology is quite dangerous, which has also led to controversy many times.

On the other hand, domestic airlines argue that the use of VFR is absolutely correct when the aircraft is flying at high altitudes to a remote location, such as Dolpo, Jumla and Simikot. On the other hand, instrument flight rules are for when the weather is bad, such as dense fog and visibility becomes difficult.