Nepal’s unique and rugged terrain makes air travel particularly risky. The country’s numerous mountains and deep valleys create challenging flight paths. Pilots must navigate through these narrow airways, often in unpredictable and severe weather conditions.

Aging Aircraft and Inadequate Safety Standards

Nepal’s aviation sector is also plagued by aging aircraft and inadequate safety standards. The combination of old planes and lax regulations significantly increases the risk of accidents. This has resulted in several tragic crashes over the years.

International Concerns and Efforts

International aviation bodies have expressed concerns over Nepal’s aviation safety. Efforts are being made to improve safety protocols, but progress is slow. The global community continues to urge Nepal to adopt stricter measures to ensure passenger safety.

Here’s the list of aviation accidents in Nepal since 2000, along with the number of fatalities:

1. July 27, 2000: 25 fatalities (Royal Nepal Airlines Twin Otter crash)
2. July 17, 2002: 4 fatalities
3. August 22, 2002: 18 fatalities (Shangrila Air Twin Otter crash)
4. May 25, 2004: 3 fatalities (Yeti Airlines Twin Otter cargo plane crash)
5. June 21, 2006: 9 fatalities (Yeti Airlines Twin Otter crash)
6. March 4, 2008: 10 fatalities (helicopter crash in Ramechhap)
7. October 8, 2008: 18 fatalities (Twin Otter crash)
8. August 24, 2010: 14 fatalities (Agni Air crash)
9. December 16, 2010: 22 fatalities (Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter crash)
10. September 25, 2011: 19 fatalities (Buddha Air crash)
11. September 28, 2012: 19 fatalities (Dornier aircraft crash)
12. February 16, 2014: 18 fatalities (Nepal Airlines Twin Otter crash)
13. February 24, 2016: 23 fatalities (Tara Air Twin Otter crash)
14. March 12, 2018: 51 fatalities (US-Bangla Airlines crash)
15. February 27, 2019: 7 fatalities (helicopter crash)
16. May 29, 2022: 22 fatalities (De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter crash)
17. January 15, 2023: 72 fatalities (Yeti Airlines ATR 72 crash)
18. July 11, 2023: 6 fatalities (helicopter crash)
19. July 24, 2024: 18 fatalities (Saurya Airlines plane)

Total fatalities since 2000: 378