68 mishaps in as many years: Why is Nepal prone to air disasters?

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 – 44 of them deadly, including Sunday’s crash of a Yeti Airlines passenger plane that killed all 72 people on board.

The latest tragedy has reignited debates around air travel safety in the Himalayan nation, home to some of the world’s highest mountain peaks, including Mount Everest, and hugely popular with foreign tourists, mountaineers and skiers.

Al Jazeera details three main reasons why Nepal’s skies are prone to aviation disasters that have killed more than 900 people since 1955.

Weather and terrain

Scenic Nepal is home to treacherous terrains and unpredictable weather, especially during the monsoons. That is why Nepal’s aviation largely depends on a limited type of aircraft such as Twin Otters, Let-L 410s and Dorniers.

Such planes need shorter takeoff and landing (STOL) airfields in high-terrain areas, as opposed to the so-called trunk sector – the region with better airports where bigger planes can fly.

“The 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,” aviation expert Sanjeev Gautam told Al Jazeera.

A senior pilot of national carrier Nepal Airlines said the “high terrains are difficult and on top of that we lack good equipment and facilities”.

“We need ground equipment as well as a better-equipped aircraft with newer technology in the STOL sector,” he said on condition of anonymity.

“Following 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,” he added.

Ageing aircraft

Aviation experts say commercial aircraft never get to a point where they are not fit to fly and still in operation.

“Aircraft 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,” Gautam told Al Jazeera.

“But we must understand, the older the aircraft, the higher the maintenance cost. It’s like any other machinery,” he said.

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.

“We have to opt to buy used aircraft because we cannot maintain the same ticket prices if investment is done in a new aircraft,” Sudarshan Bartaula, spokesman at Yeti Airlines, told Al Jazeera.

Manufacturers say the parts of an aircraft should be routinely replaced at certified maintenance outlets.