An aircraft from Saurya Airlines experienced a fatal crash during takeoff from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal on Wednesday, July 24, 2024.
The crash resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals, stated official sources. The plane was ferrying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara for maintenance work. All were Nepali nationals except for one Yemeni citizen.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal reported that the Bombardier CRJ-200ER, marked as 9N-AME, deviated to the right and crashed into a gorge on the eastern side of the runway soon after takeoff at 11:15 a.m. The aircraft had been slated for a month-long maintenance period.
Tej Bahadur Poudyal, the spokesperson for Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, confirmed that the pilot, Captain MR Shakya, who was the only person to survive the crash, was being treated for eye injuries at Kathmandu Medical College Hospital. Saurya Airlines’ marketing head, Mukesh Khanal, added, “Everything was normal before the flight was ready to take off.” Investigations into the incident are currently underway.
Onlookers reported that the aircraft ignited into flames upon impact. Television footage depicted firefighters attempting to subdue the fire, with dense black smoke ascending into the sky. A local resident who witnessed the crash stated, “The plane was flying low and then tilted sharply to the right before crashing.”
This crash underscores Nepal’s ongoing struggles with aviation safety. Since 2000, approximately 360 individuals have lost their lives in plane or helicopter crashes. Factors contributing to this high number of aviation accidents include the country’s challenging landscape, abrupt weather shifts, and the usage of antiquated aircraft.
Following the crash, Nepal’s Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, visited the site and requested patience from the public in a social media post. The government convened an emergency cabinet meeting to establish a panel to investigate the crash, as confirmed by a government spokesperson. The government assured its commitment to enhancing aviation safety standards.
The Kathmandu airport was briefly shut down after the crash but resumed operations within a few hours. The plane had been scheduled for maintenance at the newly inaugurated Pokhara Regional Airport, which boasts modern maintenance facilities.
This incident echoes previous aviation accidents in Nepal. A Yeti Airlines crash in January 2023 resulted in at least 72 fatalities, while a crash involving a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus in 1992 led to 167 deaths. These recurrent accidents, raising safety concerns, have led the European Union to prohibit Nepali carriers from entering its airspace.
