JOIN USNepal must reform civil aviation body
The crash of a Yeti Airlines aircraft at Pokhara in Nepal has underscored yet again the country’s poor airline safety record. Of the 72 crew and passengers on board the plane, the bodies of 68 have been recovered. According to eyewitnesses, as the aircraft began its descent into Pokhara airport, it began spinning violently before crashing in a gorge and catching fire. Nepal has suffered some 46 fatal air crashes since 1946. Sunday’s crash was its third deadliest ever. It was also the second air crash in less than a year; back in May last year, an aircraft crashed in the mountainous Mustang district killing all 22 people on board. Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has ordered a probe into the air crash at Pokhara. Both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered and these will tell investigators what caused the crash. Nepal’s mountainous topography – it is home to eight of the world’s highest mountains – makes it particularly vulnerable to air accidents as navigating this treacherous terrain from the air is extremely challenging. It’s equally difficult to land aircraft on short runways that are surrounded by mountains and deep gorges. Unstable weather conditions and low visibility add to the challenges. While natural factors have contributed to Nepal’s nightmarish flying conditions, there are several manmade reasons, too, that have made the country a death trap for aircraft. Probes into airline safety have revealed that several aircraft used for domestic flights are too old and often lacked state-of-the-art technology that could have helped mitigate challenges posed by terrain and weather.
Underlying these problems is the structure and organisation of Nepal’s civil aviation body. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) is both a service provider and a regulator. This has undermined the aviation body’s capacity to monitor and ensure better safety of aircraft. Since 2009, successive Nepali governments have been promising to enact legislation to split CAAN into two entities – one to provide service and the other to regulate the industry. However, the legislation is yet to materialise. Vested interests, including CAAN officials and some foreign airlines, have blocked such legislation.
Nepal’s failure to reform CAAN is costing the country and the world heavily. Far too many lives have been lost to air accidents; many of them could have been prevented. Besides, livelihoods are in peril, too. Nepal’s economy is dependent on tourism, which has been hit by frequent plane crashes. Safe flights will boost tourist arrivals. Nepali airlines are losing business to foreign competitors. Since 2013, the European Union has banned Nepali airlines from entering European airspace. A probe into the crash must be followed up by a reform of CAAN and the Nepali aviation sector.