How safe are Airplanes and Airports in Nepal?

How safe are Airplanes and Airports in Nepal?

All air carriers from Nepal have been refused permission to operate air services to the EU due to safety concerns, notes the Foreign travel advice by United Kingdom.

Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport is the only international airport in Nepal. See video of approach and landing.

In March 2015 an Airbus of Turkish Airlines crashed after landing due to fog, but passengers could be evacuated safe.

In June 2014 the British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Nepal needs to assure travellers that its aviation industry meets the international standards.

In March 2014 Malaysian Airlines Flight (MH-114) from Kuala Lumpur to Kathmandu with 180 passengers on board was hit by a flock of ducks as it attempted to land. The impact shattered the Boeing 738’s two right windshields but the pilots managed to land safely without injury to any passenger or crew.

On 16 February 2014 a Nepal Airlines flight flying from Pokhara to Jumla crashed in western Nepal. 18 people were killed.

In August 2013 the airport authorities discovered cracks in the runway and warned airlines, not to arrive with too heavy aircrafts, as telegraph.co.uk reported.

On 16 May 2013 a Nepal Airlines flight crashed while landing at Jomsom Airport in nothern Nepal leaving 5 people seriously injured.

On 28 September 2012 a Sita Air Dornier aircraft flying from Kathmandu to Lukla crashed south-west of Kathmandu shortly after take-off. Nineteen people were killed including 7 British nationals. In 2012 Nepal has witnessed five fatal plane crashes in just two years, killing a total of 95 people writes Gareth Platt. Kathmandu airport had seen nine major crashes in the last 20 years.


Lukla Airport: It is "among the most remote and difficult to land on in the world and a challenge for even the most technically proficient pilots and well-maintained aircraft, writes Foreign travel advice of United Kingdom.

Kathmandu Airport blocked by near Disaster of Turkish Airlines for days - Now open again

On March 4th at 7:45 a Turkish Airlines 726 Airbus 330-300 with 224 passengers and 11 crew members had a near disaster while landing at Kathmandu Airport. Since then the only runway of Nepals only international airport had been blocked and thousands of tourists have been stranded in Nepal, as Nepali Times reports. On Saturday March 7th the airport authority announced the reopeing of the airport from 8pm. See picture, how the Airbus was moved away. Nepal Airlines will fly to Delhi at 9pm and to Malaysia at 11pm. The airport will now be open for 24 hours during three days, reports Nepali Times.

Until Saturday March 7th it was not possible to move the Airbus away from the runway. Nepali Times reports, that Nepali migrant workers have been sleeping on the floors of airports in Kuala Lumpur, Abu Dhabi and other airports. Tourists coming to Nepal at the start of the spring trekking season have been stuck in Hong Kong, Dubai or New Delhi. Doha alone has 3,000 stranded Kathmandu-bound passengers. Domestic flights had been able to operate during the closure, but only with smaller aircraft.

On March 4 visibility was below a minimum due to fog and the Airbus had circled in the air for an hour before making an apporach. It had to pull up at the last moment because the pilot coldn’t see the runway. During the second landing try visability was poor again. The pilot landed very hard, the plane veered off the runway to the left, the nose crashed on the ground. All passengers have been reported safe.