A private airlines’ Pokhara-bound plane crashed during takeoff at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), killing 18 of the 19 people on board.
The pilot of the Saurya Airlines plane survived the crash and was taken to hospital, officials said. The crash took place when the aircraft veered off the runway and burst into flames.
Also Read: Nepal’s Saurya airline plane crash LIVE updates
Nepal’s air transport sector has been plagued by accidents due to poor maintenance, insufficient training and lax standards. The country also has some of the world’s most remote and tricky runways, with approaches flanked by towering mountains that challenge even accomplished pilots.
Also Read: Data | With 720 plane crash deaths in last thirty years, Nepal ranks 12 of 207 nations
According to the Aviation Safety database, there have been 27 deadly plane crashes in Nepal over the last three decades killing over 700 people in total.
Here is a timeline of major air disasters to hit the country in recent years:
July 24, 2024
At least 18 people were killed when a domestic airline plane crashed during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, on July 24. The pilot survived and was taken to a hospital, officials said. There were 19 people onboard the plane, which was headed to Pokhara, a tourist destination which is a 25-minute flight from Kathmandu.
January 15, 2023
68 passengers were killed when the aircraft they were in crashed before landing in Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, civil aviation sources in Kathmandu have confirmed. The aircraft belonging to Yeti Airlines had 72 passengers including four crew members and at least fifteen foreigners on board.
May 29, 2022
A Twin Otter plane operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air crashed shortly after takeoff from Pokhara in western Nepal, killing 22 people.
March 12, 2018
A flight from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka crash-landed at Kathmandu airport, skidding into a football field where it bursts into flames. Fifty-one people were killed in what was the deadliest aviation accident in the country for decades.
February 27, 2019
A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister.
March 12, 2018
51 of the 71 people on a Bangladeshi airliner operated by U.S.-Bangla Airlines died when it crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital’s hill-ringed airport.
February 26, 2016
Two people were feared dead after a small plane crashed in western Nepal’s Kalikot district. It was operated by Kasthamandap Airlines.
February 24, 2016
A Twin Otter aircraft operated by Tara Air crashed into a hillside in Myagdi district, killing all 23 people on board.
February 16, 2014
Eighteen people were killed when a Nepal Airlines flight crashed in Arghakhanchi district, with rescuers finding body parts and debris strewn across the mountainous countryside.
September 28, 2012
A plane flying 19 people towards Mount Everest went down in flames on the outskirts of the Nepali capital, killing everyone on board including seven Britons and five Chinese citizens.
May 14, 2012
Fifteen people died when an Agni Air plane carrying Indian pilgrims crashes near the treacherous high-altitude airport of Jomsom in northern Nepal, while six made a miraculous escape.
September 25, 2011
A small plane taking tourists on a sightseeing trip around Mount Everest crashed into a hillside near Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board.
December 15, 2010
All 22 passengers and crew on board a passenger plane that crashed in eastern Nepal were killed. Most of the victims were pilgrims from Bhutan, with one U.S. citizen also among the dead.
August 24, 2010
A small Agni Air plane crashed in bad weather near Kathmandu, killing all 14 people on board including four Americans, a Japanese and a British national.
October 8, 2008
A small Twin Otter plane crashed in the remote mountains of northeast Nepal, killing at least 18 people, mostly foreigners. MARCH 4, 2008 Four U.N. arms monitors were among at least 10 people killed in a helicopter crash in Nepal.
June 21, 2006
A Twin Otter passenger plane operated by Yeti Airlines crashed minutes before landing in the west of the country, killing all nine people on board.
May 25, 2004
A Twin Otter cargo plane crashed in the Mount Everest region, killing its three crew. It was operated by Yeti Airlines.
August 22, 2002
Another Twin Otter plane, carrying foreign tourists, slammed into a mountain in bad weather in Nepal, killing all 18 people on board. It was operated by Shangrila Air.
July 17, 2002
Four people were feared dead after a twin-engined aircraft crashed into a mountain in west Nepal minutes before it was due to land.
July 27, 2000
A Canadian-built Twin Otter passenger plane crashed in western Nepal, killing all 25 people on board. It was operated by state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines.
September 28, 1992
All 167 people on board a Pakistan International Airlines plane died when it crashed on approach to Kathmandu, in Nepal’s worst-ever air accident.
(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)
