A passenger plane carrying 19 people crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday morning. Fire crews are working to extinguish the flames from the wreckage. The Saurya Airlines aircraft went down around 11:15 am (0530 GMT), according to a statement from Nepal’s military.
“Rescue operations are ongoing,” the statement noted, with the army’s quick response team providing assistance. Kathmandu airport general manager Jagannath Niroula told AFP that further details are still being confirmed.
The Kathmandu Post reported that 19 people, including the air crew, were on board. Khabarhub, a news portal, said the plane caught fire after skidding on the runway and was “releasing a significant plume of smoke.” The flight was headed to Pokhara, a key tourism destination in the Himalayan nation.
Saurya Airlines operates Bombardier CRJ 200 jets exclusively, as per its website. Nepal’s aviation industry has grown significantly in recent years, serving remote areas and foreign trekkers and climbers. However, it has faced safety issues due to inadequate training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace due to safety concerns.
Nepal’s poor aviation safety record is exacerbated by its challenging geography, with some of the world’s most difficult runways surrounded by snow-capped peaks and rapidly changing weather conditions. The last major commercial flight accident in Nepal occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing at Pokhara, resulting in the deaths of all 72 people on board.
A passenger plane carrying 19 people crashed during takeoff in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Wednesday morning. Fire crews are working to extinguish the flames from the wreckage. The Saurya Airlines aircraft went down around 11:15 am (0530 GMT), according to a statement from Nepal’s military.
“Rescue operations are underway,” the statement noted, with the army’s quick response team providing assistance. Kathmandu airport general manager Jagannath Niroula informed AFP that further details are still being confirmed.
The Kathmandu Post reported that 19 people, including the air crew, were on board. Khabarhub, a news portal, stated that the plane caught fire after skidding on the runway and was “releasing a significant plume of smoke.” The flight was headed to Pokhara, a key tourism destination in Nepal.
Saurya Airlines operates only Bombardier CRJ 200 jets, as stated on its website. Despite the recent growth of Nepal’s aviation industry, which supports remote areas and foreign trekkers and climbers, it has struggled with safety issues due to inadequate training and maintenance. The European Union has banned all Nepali carriers from its airspace due to safety concerns.
Nepal’s aviation safety record is further challenged by its difficult geography, with some of the world’s most complex runways surrounded by snow-capped peaks and subject to rapidly changing weather conditions.
The last major commercial flight accident in Nepal occurred in January 2023, when a Yeti Airlines flight crashed while landing at Pokhara, killing all 72 people on board.
This was Nepal’s deadliest aviation accident since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed while approaching Kathmandu airport, killing all 167 people on board. Earlier that year, a Thai Airways aircraft also crashed near the same airport, resulting in the deaths of 113 people.
