Nepal: Pokhara Airport temporarily closed April 10 after landing issue

Event

The nose wheel of a Yeti Airlines plane locked up while landing at Pokhara Airport (PKR) on Tuesday, April 10, forcing the authorities to close the airport until further notice. The aircraft had flown to Pokhara from Kathmandu carrying 29 passengers; no passengers or crew members were harmed. This is the second such incident involving Yeti Airlines in the past month; another aircraft suffered wheel lock at Bhairahawa Airport (BWA) on March 18.

Context

Mountainous terrain, poor regulation, and a lack of investment in planes and infrastructure have led to large numbers of aviation accidents in Nepal over the years. All of the nation's airlines are banned from operating in EU airspace due to safety concerns. On March 12, 2018, a US Bangla Airlines flight with 71 passengers on board traveling from Bangladesh crashed on landing at Kathmandu International Airport (KTM); 51 passengers were killed.

Advice

Individuals present in this mountainous South Asian destination wishing to travel by plane within the country should be aware of the significant number of accidents that have occurred over the past decade. Do not board a plane when weather conditions seem dangerous or when the onboard security norms do not seem to be respected.