A plane carrying 19 passengers crashed at Kathmandu Airport on Wednesday killing 18 people and injuring the pilot. The crash reflects a sorry history of deadly air accidents in the country. Before Wednesday’s crash, nearly 360 people had been killed in the country in 19 air crashes since 2000, Reuters reported.
Nepal’s air industry has experienced significant growth, facilitating the movement of goods and people between remote areas and attracting foreign trekkers and climbers. However, this expansion has been marred by poor safety standards due to inadequate training and maintenance, exacerbated by the country’s challenging geography. So much so that the European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace due to these safety concerns.
Nepal’s airports are among the most difficult in the world, surrounded by snow-capped peaks that makes the air current uneven. Rapid weather changes in the mountains further complicate flying conditions.
We take a look at the air crashes that have taken place in Nepal since 2000:
| Date | Details | Death Count |
| July 24, 2024 | At least 18 people were killed when a Bombardier CRJ 200 plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal’s capital Kathmandu. | 18 |
| July 11, 2023 | Six people were killed in a helicopter crash in central Nepal. The chopper, which departed from Solukhumbu district, home to Mount Everest and other high mountain peaks, had five Mexican nationals and one Nepali pilot on board. | 6 |
| Jan 15, 2023 | A twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 people, operated by Nepal’s Yeti Airlines, crashed in Pokhara, killing all on board. It was the worst air crash in the country since 1992 when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it ploughed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu. | 72 |
| May 29, 2022 | Sixteen Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans died on a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter aircraft that crashed 15 minutes after taking off from Pokhara, 125 km (80 miles) west of Kathmandu. | 22 |
| Feb 27, 2019 | A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister. | 7 |
| March 12, 2018 | Fifty-one of 71 people on a Bangladeshi airliner operated by US-Bangla Airlines died when it crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital’s hill-ringed airport. | 51 |
| Feb 26, 2016 | Two people were feared dead after a small plane crashed in western Nepal’s Kalikot district. It was operated by Kasthamandap Airlines. | 2 |
| Feb 24, 2016 | A small plane crashed in bad weather, killing all 23 people on board. The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, was on a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom in western Nepal. | 23 |
| Feb 16, 2014 | All 18 people on a small plane that crashed in bad weather were killed. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by state-run Nepal Airlines Corp. | 18 |
| SEPT 28, 2012 | A small propeller-driven Dornier aircraft struck a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu, killing 19 people, including seven British and five Chinese passengers. | 19 |
| SEPT 25, 2011 | A small plane carrying foreign tourists to view Mount Everest crashed in bad weather near Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board. The Beech aircraft was operated by private airline Buddha Air. | 19 |
| Dec 16, 2010 | A small plane crashed in the Himalayan foothills of remote east Nepal, killing all 22 people onboard. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by Tara Air. | 22 |
| Aug 24, 2010 | Fourteen people – including four Americans, a Japanese and British national – were killed when their small plane crashed in bad weather in Nepal. It was operated by privately held Agni Air. | 14 |
| Oct 8, 2008 | A small Twin Otter plane crashed in the remote mountains of northeast Nepal, killing at least 18 people, mostly foreigners. | 18 |
| March 4, 2008 | Four U.N. arms monitors were among at least 10 people killed in a helicopter crash in Nepal. | 10 |
| 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. | 9 |
| May 25, 2004 | A Twin Otter cargo plane crashed in the Mount Everest region, killing its three crew. It was operated by Yeti Airlines. | 3 |
| Aug 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. | 18 |
| 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. | 4 |
| 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. | 25 |
(With inputs from Reuters)
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