By Muita Njambi
A passenger plane crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday morning. The Saurya Airlines flight was carrying 19 people.
It crashed at around 11:15 am local time (0530 GMT). Fire crews are working to extinguish the flames. Nepal’s military stated that rescue work is ongoing, and the army’s quick response team is assisting.
Kathmandu Airport general manager Jagannath Niroula confirmed that further details are still being verified. The Kathmandu Post reported that the flight included both passengers and aircrew.
Khabarhub, a news portal, noted that the plane caught fire after skidding on the runway and released a significant plume of smoke.
The plane was heading to Pokhara, a major tourism hub. Nepal’s aviation industry has expanded rapidly in recent years playing a crucial role in transporting goods and people to remote areas and attracting foreign trekkers and climbers.
Despite this growth, the industry is marred by safety issues due to inadequate training and maintenance.
The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace over safety concerns. Nepal’s difficult geography and rapidly changing mountain weather make flying hazardous.
The country’s aviation safety record is poor as in January 2023, a Yeti Airlines plane crashed while landing in Pokhara, killing all 72 aboard.
This was the deadliest accident in Nepal since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed near Kathmandu, resulting in 167 deaths. Earlier that same year, a Thai Airways flight crashed near the same airport, killing 113 people.
Nepal continues to face significant challenges in improving aviation safety as efforts are being made to investigate the cause of this latest crash. The focus remains on rescuing any survivors and ensuring such incidents are minimized in the future.