Kathmandu, Nepal\u00a0\u2013 Commercial flights are considered one of the safest modes of transport around the world, but not so much in Nepal.<\/p>\n
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has recorded at least 68 aeroplane accidents in the country since 1955 \u2013 44 of them deadly, including\u00a0Sunday\u2019s crash\u00a0of a Yeti Airlines passenger plane that killed all 72 people on<\/p>\n
The latest tragedy has reignited debates around air travel safety in the Himalayan nation, home to some of the world\u2019s highest mountain peaks, including Mount Everest, and hugely popular with foreign tourists, mountaineers and skiers.<\/p>\n
Al Jazeera details three main reasons why Nepal\u2019s skies are\u00a0prone to aviation disasters\u00a0that have killed more than 900 people since 1955.<\/p>\n
Scenic Nepal is home to treacherous terrains and unpredictable weather, especially during the monsoons. That is why Nepal\u2019s aviation largely depends on a limited type of aircraft such as Twin Otters, Let-L 410s and Dorniers.<\/p>\n
Such planes need shorter takeoff and landing (STOL) airfields in high-terrain areas, as opposed to the so-called trunk sector \u2013 the region with better airports where bigger planes can fly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe unpredictable weather changes in the high terrains between takeoff and landing is the reason for most accidents. In these routes, most domestic flights use visual flight rules (VFR) in which the pilot controls and navigates the plane using visual references from outside,\u201d.<\/p>\n
A senior pilot of national carrier Nepal Airlines said the \u201chigh terrains are difficult and on top of that we lack good equipment and facilities\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need ground equipment as well as a better-equipped aircraft with newer technology in the STOL sector,\u201d he said on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing VFR rules accurately is not possible in our weather conditions. For example, the rules say not to enter the clouds but sometimes it is impossible to avoid them. Hence pilots take the risks of breaking the rules,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Aviation experts say commercial aircraft never get to a point where they are not fit to fly and still in operation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAircraft do not age as we think. Of course they get old if we consider their manufacturing date. But since the parts are replaced quite often, they remain functional for many years,\u201d Gautam told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we must understand, the older the aircraft, the higher the maintenance cost. It\u2019s like any other machinery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Most of the aircraft operating in Nepal are not brand new. They cost a lot and flying them may not be viable in an economically backward nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to opt to buy used aircraft because we cannot maintain the same ticket prices if investment is done in a new aircraft,\u201d.<\/p>\n
Manufacturers say the parts of an aircraft should be routinely replaced at certified maintenance outlets.<\/p>\n
Before an aircraft is bought, a standard process of \u201ctype certification\u201d is carried out by the civil aviation authorities such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or any contracting state authority before it receives a certificate of airworthiness for operations.<\/p>\n
The 15-year-old Yeti ATR 72-500, which\u00a0crashed in clear weather\u00a0in the tourist town of Pokhara on Sunday, had also undergone this rigorous process before obtaining permission to fly in Nepal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a sophisticated model very suitable for Nepal, but we do not know what went wrong,\u201d spokesman Bartaula said.<\/p>\n
Aviation experts say commercial aircraft never get to a point where they are not fit to fly and still in operation.<\/p>\n
\u201cAircraft do not age as we think. Of course they get old if we consider their manufacturing date. But since the parts are replaced quite often, they remain functional for many years,\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we must understand, the older the aircraft, the higher the maintenance cost. It\u2019s like any other machinery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Most of the aircraft operating in Nepal are not brand new. They cost a lot and flying them may not be viable in an economically backward nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to opt to buy used aircraft because we cannot maintain the same ticket prices if investment is done in a new aircraft,\u201d .<\/p>\n
Manufacturers say the parts of an aircraft should be routinely replaced at certified maintenance outlets.<\/p>\n
Before an aircraft is bought, a standard process of \u201ctype certification\u201d is carried out by the civil aviation authorities such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or any contracting state authority before it receives a certificate of airworthiness for operations.<\/p>\n
The 15-year-old Yeti ATR 72-500, which\u00a0crashed in clear weather\u00a0in the tourist town of Pokhara on Sunday, had also undergone this rigorous process before obtaining permission to fly in Nepal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a sophisticated model very suitable for Nepal, but we do not know what went wrong,\u201d spokesman Bartaula said.<\/p>\n
The United Nations-controlled International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has recommended that Nepal should unbundle the CAAN and separate it from carrying out two duties: of a regulator as well as a service provider.<\/p>\n
ICAO says such a situation is conflicting. This dichotomy is also said to be one of the main reasons behind the EU blacklisting Nepali aircraft flying into its territory since 2013.<\/p>\n
The split of these two CAAN duties is what Nepalese pilots, operators and experts claim is crucial to the reforms required in the country\u2019s aviation sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very important that we separate the two work functions of the CAAN as soon as possible. This is the first step towards revamping the entire Nepalese aviation industry,\u201d .<\/p>\n
Two aviation-related bills calling for a split in CAAN\u2019s duties and a restructuring of the national aviation sector are pending before the Nepalese parliament since 2020.<\/p>\n
Aviation expert Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, former director general of CAAN, said a revamp of the body is not easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMerely separating the two will not help, designating the two entities with autonomy and sustainability is also very important. We must make sure the regulatory half is powerful and sustainable too,\u201d .<\/p>\n
If separated, one part will be responsible for aviation regulatory issues such as safety and inspections while the service provider will venture towards managing infrastructure and airports.<\/p>\n
To reform the aviation industry, Suman suggests stringent enforcement of regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to have strict enforcement. The fines for breaching aviation rules are peanuts, no one has been charged, not one licences has been revoked. It\u2019s high time we ensure these into our industry so there is no malpractice,\u201d.<\/p>\n
Experts also feel the pilots in Nepal require more and proper training.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end, everyone points to pilot error during accidents. But the preamble to that is the operator who should ensure adequate training to get quality pilots,\u201d said the Nepal Airlines pilot.<\/p>\n
Gautam thinks merely putting the blame on pilots does not solve the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important to understand that operators hire the pilot and these operators are overseen by CAAN authorizing their licences. So when we find faults in a pilot, we should know the fault is in the entire system where everyone is connected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Kathmandu, Nepal\u00a0\u2013 Commercial flights are considered one of the safest modes of transport around the world, but not so much in Nepal. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has recorded at least 68 aeroplane accidents in the country since 1955 \u2013 44 of them deadly, including\u00a0Sunday\u2019s crash\u00a0of a Yeti Airlines passenger plane that killed …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[92,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-airports","category-featured-en"],"yoast_head":"\n