Nepal’s Pokhara International Airport, where the ill-fated Yeti Airlines plane having onboard 72 passengers was scheduled to land but crashed minutes before, did not have a working landing guiding system&nbsp;that&nbsp;helps planes land safely on runway, an airport official has revealed.&nbsp;A landing guiding system or instrument landing system helps pilots struggling with visibility maintain visual contact with surrounding obstacles and the ground.

Jagannath Niroula, a spokesperson for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, told the news agency AP that the situation will remain the same until February 26—56 days after the airport began operations on January 1.

The airport was built with assistance from China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure project. In 2016, the Nepal government had signed a $215.96 million soft loan agreement with Beijing for the construction of the airport in the tourist city.

Despite the instrument landing system remaining defunct at the time of the crash, conditions on Sunday were said to be good, with low winds&nbsp;and clear skies.

An expert opined that a lack of an instrument landing system could be a "contributory cause" of the accident and highlighted a "notoriously bad air safety culture" in Nepal.

<h2>Gravitas | Nepal air crash: Is the Nepalese government to blame?</h2>

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He said that pilots in Nepal encounter in-flight visibility problems as the country is surrounded by mountains.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-crash-70-confirmed-dead-as-rescuers-search-for-two-missing-passengers-553338">Nepal plane crash: 70 bodies retrieved as rescuers search for two missing passengers</a>

Though it is still not clear as to what led the plane to crash, it is believed that—based on the videos of the plane’s final moments before the crash—it went into a stall, although it is unclear why.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-plane-crash-deceased-co-pilots-husband-also-flew-same-airline-died-in-crash-16-years-ago-553191">Deceased co-pilot’s husband also flew same airline, died in crash 16 years ago</a>

“Flying in Nepal becomes challenging if you don’t have navigational aids and puts an extra workload on the pilot whenever they experience problems during a flight,” Amit Singh, an experienced pilot and founder of India’s Safety Matters Foundation, told AP news agency.

“Lack of an instrument landing system only reaffirms that Nepal’s air safety culture is not adequate.”

The twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight recorder were retrieved on Monday.

Yeti Airlines said that the plane’s cockpit voice recorder is being analysed locally, and the flight data recorder will be sent to France. Experts from France have been assisting in the probe into the crash.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Nepal’s Pokhara International Airport, where the ill-fated Yeti Airlines plane having onboard 72 passengers was scheduled to land but crashed minutes before, did not have a working landing guiding system that helps planes land safely on runway, an airport official has revealed.

Nepal’s Pokhara International Airport, where the ill-fated Yeti Airlines plane having onboard 72 passengers was scheduled to land but crashed minutes before, did not have a working landing guiding system that helps planes land safely on runway, an airport official has revealed. A landing guiding system or instrument landing system helps pilots struggling with visibility maintain visual contact with surrounding obstacles and the ground. Jagannath Niroula, a spokesperson for Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority, told the news agency AP that the situation will remain the same until February 26—56 days after the airport began operations on January 1. The airport was built with assistance from China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure project. In 2016, the Nepal government had signed a $215.96 million soft loan agreement with Beijing for the construction of the airport in the tourist city. Despite the instrument landing system remaining defunct at the time of the crash, conditions on Sunday were said to be good, with low winds and clear skies. An expert opined that a lack of an instrument landing system could be a "contributory cause" of the accident and highlighted a "notoriously bad air safety culture" in Nepal. Gravitas | Nepal air crash: Is the Nepalese government to blame? He said that pilots in Nepal encounter in-flight visibility problems as the country is surrounded by mountains. Also read | Nepal plane crash: 70 bodies retrieved as rescuers search for two missing passengers Though it is still not clear as to what led the plane to crash, it is believed that—based on the videos of the plane’s final moments before the crash—it went into a stall, although it is unclear why. Also Read | Deceased co-pilot’s husband also flew same airline, died in crash 16 years ago “Flying in Nepal becomes challenging if you don’t have navigational aids and puts an extra workload on the pilot whenever they experience problems during a flight,” Amit Singh, an experienced pilot and founder of India’s Safety Matters Foundation, told AP news agency. “Lack of an instrument landing system only reaffirms that Nepal’s air safety culture is not adequate.” The twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft’s cockpit voice recorder and flight recorder were retrieved on Monday. Yeti Airlines said that the plane’s cockpit voice recorder is being analysed locally, and the flight data recorder will be sent to France. Experts from France have been assisting in the probe into the crash. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Nepal plane crash: Pokhara airport, built with Chinese assistance, did not have landing guidance system

Nepal's sad history of aviation disasters: A timeline of deadly plane crashes in the Himalayan nation

Nepal plane crash 2023:&nbsp;At least 68 people were killed after a domestic flight of Yeti Airlines carrying 72 passengers crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal on Sunday (January 15) minutes before it was scheduled to land. The search and rescue operations by the country’s emergency personnel for the four people still missing began on Monday, while Nepal’s Army has said that they have not found anyone alive from the crash site in Pokhara.&nbsp;

The crash also marked the worst air disaster that the Himalayan nation has witnessed in the past three decades while Nepal continues to be one of the riskiest places to fly, as per multiple reports and the country’s poor flight safety record.&nbsp;The incident&nbsp;on Sunday was the deadliest in Nepal since the 1992&nbsp;Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 plane crash.&nbsp;

What happened in Pokhara?

As per reports, the flight had taken off from the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and was headed to Pokhara, however, minutes before completing the 27-minute flight and landing at the Pokhara International Airport it broke and caught on fire which was later doused. According to plane tracking data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft was 15 years old and “equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data.”

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-mourns-crash-victims-as-rescuers-search-for-four-missing-passengers-and-the-black-box-552974">Search teams find black boxes of the crashed Nepal flight that killed 68</a>

However, while the exact cause of the crash remains unknown the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft’s black boxes which include a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered and handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), said a Yeti airlines spokesperson.&nbsp;

According to the CAAN, the Yeti Airlines plane made contact with Pokhara airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 am (local time) and “then it crashed”. The 72 passengers on board included three children, three infants, and four crew members out of which 57 were Nepalis. While the 15 foreign nations included five Indians, four Russians, one Irish, two South Korean, one Australian, one French and one Argentinian national onboard as per media reports.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nepal-plane-crash-pokhara-bound-flight-crashes-20-minutes-after-leaving-kathmandu-552879">Nepal Plane Crash: Pokhara bound flight crashes 20 minutes after leaving Kathmandu</a>

“I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly it nosedived and it went into the gorge,” said Khum Bahadur Chhetri, a local resident to Reuters. While several previous crashes in Nepal have been attributed to the region’s sudden changes in weather which can contribute to hazardous flying conditions, on Sunday, they were reported to be clear. Therefore, there is no immediate indication of what caused the crash.

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The flight-tracking website, FlightRadar24 also said that the last signal from the transponder was received at 0512 GMT at an altitude of 2,875 feet above mean sea level while the Pokhara Airport is located at about 2,700 feet.&nbsp;Notably, the crash took place near the Nepalese city of Pokhara, a popular tourist destination and the starting point for the famous Annapurna Circuit Trek which attracts thousands of hikers every year.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-passenger-airplane-with-72-on-board-crashes-552768">Nepal’s worst air crash in 30 years: 68 killed as passenger plane with 72 onboard crashes near Pokhara</a>

Nepal’s reaction to the incident

After the incident, Nepal Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said he was “deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident.” Subsequently, he called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers and directed the country’s home ministry, security personnel and government agencies to carry out immediate search and rescue operations, on Sunday. Meanwhile, he monitored the rescue and salvage efforts from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.&nbsp;

Additionally, the Nepalese PM also ordered an investigation into the crash and a five-member panel has been set up for the inquiry. Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Bishnu Paudel told the press that the panel&nbsp;is expected to report within 45 days. The Himalayan nation is also observing a day of national mourning on Monday (January 16) for the victims of the crash.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-ground-report-nepal-government-mandates-technical-test-for-all-domestic-flights-553069">WION Ground Report: Nepal Government mandates technical test for all domestic flights</a>

The investigation by the government committee into the crash will also receive assistance from French authorities as the Yeti Airlines-operated twin-engine ATR 72 is manufactured by aerospace company ATR. “ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer,” said the France-based company, in a statement. Meanwhile, Yeti airlines have also cancelled all regular flights for Monday in “mourning for the passengers who lost their lives.”

The plane is said to have plummeted into a steep gorge and Army personnel used ropes and stretchers to retrieve bodies from the 300-metre-deep ravine. The search efforts were called off after dark on late Sunday, Army spokesman Krishna Prasad Bhandari said and was to resume the next day. According to Nepal Armed Police Force official, Shambhu Subedi, "the police, the&nbsp;armed police, the military and the Red Cross, all agencies are involved in the rescue and search operation”.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-plane-crash-pokhara-international-airport-was-inaugurated-two-weeks-ago-built-with-chinese-assistance-552873">Nepal plane crash: Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated two weeks ago, built with Chinese assistance</a>

He added that all the dead bodies have been transferred to the hospitals and due to the “very difficult” terrain it has been tough to carry out search operations at the crash sites, reported AP.&nbsp;

What makes air travel in Nepal risky?

As mentioned earlier, Nepal has a long and unfortunate history of plane crashes which have been attributed to a number of reasons ranging from sudden weather changes and&nbsp;mountainous topography of the region to&nbsp;lax regulations, making the Himalayan nation one of the riskiest places to fly. Notably, Nepal is also home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/decoding-the-disasters-nepals-troubled-history-of-plane-crashes-552899">Decoding the disasters: Nepal's troubled history of plane crashes</a>

According to the data from Aviation Safety Network, the crash on Sunday not only marks the worst air disaster in the country in three decades but is also the third-worst aviation accident in Nepal’s history. Furthermore, the Himalayan nation has witnessed nearly 27 fatal plane crashes in the past 30 years out of which 20 have taken place in the last 10 years or so. A report by the country’s CAAN stated, “diversity of weather patterns together with hostile topography are the main challenges surrounding aircraft operations in Nepal due to which the number of accidents related to small aircraft….seems comparatively higher.”

The Himalayan nation has&nbsp;some of the most remote and tricky runways which even the most accomplished pilots face challenges navigating through. Additionally, aircraft operators have long said that the country lacks infrastructure for accurate weather forecasts, particularly in the remote mountainous regions where deadly plane crashes have taken place in the past.&nbsp;

ALSO WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/nepal-plan-crash-final-moments-of-yeti-plane-caught-on-camera-just-before-crash-553104">Nepal Plane Crash: Final moments of Yeti plane caught on camera just before crash</a>

In addition to the aforementioned reasons, poor maintenance of aircraft&nbsp;as well as insufficient training of pilots, have also contributed to the number of plane crashes that have taken place in Nepal. In 2013, the European Union banned all Nepal-based airlines from its airspace citing safety concerns and the country’s requests to remove some airlines from the blacklist were rejected again last year, as per media reports.

Some of the most recent plane crashes in Nepal&nbsp;

May 29, 2022: At least 22 people including 16 Nepalis, four Indians and two German nationals were killed after a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter plane operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air crashed soon after taking off from Pokhara. Subsequently, the accident, in part, was attributed to poor weather conditions, as per a preliminary investigation carried out by CAAN.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/nepals-sad-history-of-aviation-disaster-a-timeline-of-deadly-plane-crashes-in-the-himalayan-nation-552885">Nepal's sad history of aviation disasters: A timeline of deadly plane crashes in the Himalayan nation</a>

April 14, 2019: At least three people were killed and four others were injured after a small plane veered off the runway while taking off near Mount Everest and hit a parked helicopter. The accident took place at an airport which is among the world’s most dangerous ones due to its short runway and difficult approach.&nbsp;

March 12, 2018: One of the deadliest aviation accidents in the country was witnessed on this day when 51 people were killed after a flight from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka crash-landed at Kathmandu airport after skidding into a football field where it burst into flames.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Nepal plane crash 2023: At least 68 people were killed after a domestic flight of Yeti Airlines carrying 72 passengers crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal on Sunday (January 15) minutes before it was scheduled to land.

Nepal plane crash 2023: At least 68 people were killed after a domestic flight of Yeti Airlines carrying 72 passengers crashed near Pokhara International Airport in Nepal on Sunday (January 15) minutes before it was scheduled to land. The search and rescue operations by the country’s emergency personnel for the four people still missing began on Monday, while Nepal’s Army has said that they have not found anyone alive from the crash site in Pokhara. The crash also marked the worst air disaster that the Himalayan nation has witnessed in the past three decades while Nepal continues to be one of the riskiest places to fly, as per multiple reports and the country’s poor flight safety record. The incident on Sunday was the deadliest in Nepal since the 1992 Pakistan International Airlines Airbus A300 plane crash. What happened in Pokhara? As per reports, the flight had taken off from the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and was headed to Pokhara, however, minutes before completing the 27-minute flight and landing at the Pokhara International Airport it broke and caught on fire which was later doused. According to plane tracking data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft was 15 years old and “equipped with an old transponder with unreliable data.” ALSO READ | Search teams find black boxes of the crashed Nepal flight that killed 68 However, while the exact cause of the crash remains unknown the twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft’s black boxes which include a cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered and handed over to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), said a Yeti airlines spokesperson. According to the CAAN, the Yeti Airlines plane made contact with Pokhara airport from Seti Gorge at 10:50 am (local time) and “then it crashed”. The 72 passengers on board included three children, three infants, and four crew members out of which 57 were Nepalis. While the 15 foreign nations included five Indians, four Russians, one Irish, two South Korean, one Australian, one French and one Argentinian national onboard as per media reports. ALSO WATCH | Nepal Plane Crash: Pokhara bound flight crashes 20 minutes after leaving Kathmandu “I saw the plane trembling, moving left and right, and then suddenly it nosedived and it went into the gorge,” said Khum Bahadur Chhetri, a local resident to Reuters. While several previous crashes in Nepal have been attributed to the region’s sudden changes in weather which can contribute to hazardous flying conditions, on Sunday, they were reported to be clear. Therefore, there is no immediate indication of what caused the crash. #WATCH | A passenger aircraft crashed at Pokhara International Airport in Nepal today. 68 passengers and four crew members were onboard at the time of crash. Details awaited. pic.twitter.com/DBDbTtTxNc — ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2023 × The flight-tracking website, FlightRadar24 also said that the last signal from the transponder was received at 0512 GMT at an altitude of 2,875 feet above mean sea level while the Pokhara Airport is located at about 2,700 feet. Notably, the crash took place near the Nepalese city of Pokhara, a popular tourist destination and the starting point for the famous Annapurna Circuit Trek which attracts thousands of hikers every year. ALSO READ | Nepal’s worst air crash in 30 years: 68 killed as passenger plane with 72 onboard crashes near Pokhara Nepal’s reaction to the incident After the incident, Nepal Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said he was “deeply saddened by the sad and tragic accident.” Subsequently, he called an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers and directed the country’s home ministry, security personnel and government agencies to carry out immediate search and rescue operations, on Sunday. Meanwhile, he monitored the rescue and salvage efforts from Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Additionally, the Nepalese PM also ordered an investigation into the crash and a five-member panel has been set up for the inquiry. Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Bishnu Paudel told the press that the panel is expected to report within 45 days. The Himalayan nation is also observing a day of national mourning on Monday (January 16) for the victims of the crash. ALSO WATCH | WION Ground Report: Nepal Government mandates technical test for all domestic flights The investigation by the government committee into the crash will also receive assistance from French authorities as the Yeti Airlines-operated twin-engine ATR 72 is manufactured by aerospace company ATR. “ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation and the customer,” said the France-based company, in a statement. Meanwhile, Yeti airlines have also cancelled all regular flights for Monday in “mourning for the passengers who lost their lives.” The plane is said to have plummeted into a steep gorge and Army personnel used ropes and stretchers to retrieve bodies from the 300-metre-deep ravine. The search efforts were called off after dark on late Sunday, Army spokesman Krishna Prasad Bhandari said and was to resume the next day. According to Nepal Armed Police Force official, Shambhu Subedi, "the police, the armed police, the military and the Red Cross, all agencies are involved in the rescue and search operation”. ALSO READ | Nepal plane crash: Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated two weeks ago, built with Chinese assistance He added that all the dead bodies have been transferred to the hospitals and due to the “very difficult” terrain it has been tough to carry out search operations at the crash sites, reported AP. What makes air travel in Nepal risky? As mentioned earlier, Nepal has a long and unfortunate history of plane crashes which have been attributed to a number of reasons ranging from sudden weather changes and mountainous topography of the region to lax regulations, making the Himalayan nation one of the riskiest places to fly. Notably, Nepal is also home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest. ALSO WATCH | Decoding the disasters: Nepal's troubled history of plane crashes According to the data from Aviation Safety Network, the crash on Sunday not only marks the worst air disaster in the country in three decades but is also the third-worst aviation accident in Nepal’s history. Furthermore, the Himalayan nation has witnessed nearly 27 fatal plane crashes in the past 30 years out of which 20 have taken place in the last 10 years or so. A report by the country’s CAAN stated, “diversity of weather patterns together with hostile topography are the main challenges surrounding aircraft operations in Nepal due to which the number of accidents related to small aircraft….seems comparatively higher.” The Himalayan nation has some of the most remote and tricky runways which even the most accomplished pilots face challenges navigating through. Additionally, aircraft operators have long said that the country lacks infrastructure for accurate weather forecasts, particularly in the remote mountainous regions where deadly plane crashes have taken place in the past. ALSO WATCH | Nepal Plane Crash: Final moments of Yeti plane caught on camera just before crash In addition to the aforementioned reasons, poor maintenance of aircraft as well as insufficient training of pilots, have also contributed to the number of plane crashes that have taken place in Nepal. In 2013, the European Union banned all Nepal-based airlines from its airspace citing safety concerns and the country’s requests to remove some airlines from the blacklist were rejected again last year, as per media reports. Some of the most recent plane crashes in Nepal May 29, 2022: At least 22 people including 16 Nepalis, four Indians and two German nationals were killed after a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter plane operated by Nepali carrier Tara Air crashed soon after taking off from Pokhara. Subsequently, the accident, in part, was attributed to poor weather conditions, as per a preliminary investigation carried out by CAAN. ALSO READ | Nepal's sad history of aviation disasters: A timeline of deadly plane crashes in the Himalayan nation April 14, 2019: At least three people were killed and four others were injured after a small plane veered off the runway while taking off near Mount Everest and hit a parked helicopter. The accident took place at an airport which is among the world’s most dangerous ones due to its short runway and difficult approach. March 12, 2018: One of the deadliest aviation accidents in the country was witnessed on this day when 51 people were killed after a flight from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka crash-landed at Kathmandu airport after skidding into a football field where it burst into flames. (With inputs from agencies)

Explained: Nepal witnesses worst plane crash in 30 years. Why is air travel risky in the Himalayan nation?

The Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the site of the plane crash, was inaugurated only two weeks ago by Nepal’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and was built with the assistance of the Chinese.&nbsp;According to reports, the airport was part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 countries.

In March 2016, the Nepal government received $215.96 million from China through a loan agreement for the construction of the airport, which is surrounded by the pristine Annapurna Mountain Range, Kathmandu Post newspaper report.

Former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi handed over the Pokhara Regional International Airport to the then Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, during a courtesy call held at Baluwatar last year.

<h2>At least 40 bodies recovered in the Pokhara plan crash</h2>

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After the airport’s inauguration ceremony on January 1, Prachanda, who is considered close to China, said that aerial connectivity is the most effective means of connectivity for a landlocked country like Nepal.

"As the country's third international airport, the airport has started operating in Pokhara from today," he said.

"With the opening of this airport, Pokhara's relationship with the international region has been established."

“With the opening of this airport, Pokhara’s relationship with the international region has been established,” he was quoted a saying.

The accident occurred on Sunday at 11 am when the Yeti Airlines airplane was trying to land at the Pokhara airport. The plane crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport.

At least 68 people have died, while the rescue efforts are on to retrieve the other passengers.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: 

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The Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the site of the plane crash, was inaugurated only two weeks ago by Nepal’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and was built with the assistance of the Chinese.

The Pokhara International Airport in Nepal, the site of the plane crash, was inaugurated only two weeks ago by Nepal’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and was built with the assistance of the Chinese. According to reports, the airport was part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in nearly 150 countries. In March 2016, the Nepal government received $215.96 million from China through a loan agreement for the construction of the airport, which is surrounded by the pristine Annapurna Mountain Range, Kathmandu Post newspaper report. Former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi handed over the Pokhara Regional International Airport to the then Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, during a courtesy call held at Baluwatar last year. At least 40 bodies recovered in the Pokhara plan crash After the airport’s inauguration ceremony on January 1, Prachanda, who is considered close to China, said that aerial connectivity is the most effective means of connectivity for a landlocked country like Nepal. "As the country's third international airport, the airport has started operating in Pokhara from today," he said. "With the opening of this airport, Pokhara's relationship with the international region has been established." “With the opening of this airport, Pokhara’s relationship with the international region has been established,” he was quoted a saying. The accident occurred on Sunday at 11 am when the Yeti Airlines airplane was trying to land at the Pokhara airport. The plane crashed on the bank of the Seti River between the old airport and the new airport. At least 68 people have died, while the rescue efforts are on to retrieve the other passengers. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Nepal plane crash: Pokhara International Airport was inaugurated two weeks ago, built with Chinese assistance