Relatives of those who lost their lives in the Sourya Airlines plane crash have not received insurance compensation even after seven months. On July 9, 18 people, including an airline technician, died when a flight to Pokhara crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

The CRJ-200 aircraft of Sourya Airlines, which was on a 'return-flight' (non-revenue) flight, after gaining a height of 100 meters, became unbalanced and fell in 4 seconds near the Tribhuvan International Airport. In the accident, 35-year-old Captain Manisharatna Shakya was rescued alive, while 18 people, including a child, died on the spot. Shakya is currently resting at home after undergoing treatment in Delhi. Sourya said that preparations are being made to take him to Singapore for further treatment.

The government formed a five-member commission under the coordination of former director general of the authority and aeronautical engineer Ratish Chandra Lal Suman to investigate the accident. Even after 7 months, the commission has not released the full report. After the incident, Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Badri Pandey said that the report will be made public within 90 days. But the government is silent even after 227 days without a complete report. 

Nepal's Pradhan & Associates Pvt. Ltd., entrusted by the British reinsurance company, claims to compensate the families of six people within a few days. The possible imbalance of the aircraft's flight weight, reduction of the speed to be adopted on the 'runway' during 'take-off' and non-compliance with the standards to be adopted on the 'return flight' have been pointed out as the main weaknesses of the accident. But the commission is delaying to disclose the detailed and complete report. 

Prabhu Insurance, which was insured by Solar Airlines, and the British company, which was reinsured by Prabhu, questioned the validity of the flight, sources say, and the payment is being delayed. Prabhu Insurance has reinsured with Axa XL Company of Lloyd's Group of UK. The reinsurance company has questioned whether the flight of Sourya is legal or not, whether the ship's radio mobile license and airworthiness certificate are valid. 

Company has informed that the procedure adopted while issuing the flight permit for 're-flight' is not sufficient and the standards of the flight permit process published by the Nepal Civil Aviation Authority are not followed and the insurance amount has been withheld.

"The reinsurance company has asked the Civil Aviation Authority for an answer twice as to whether it was a re-flight or a special flight," says an official. The reinsurance company is asking Nepal's regulatory body to clarify the matter of a woman and a child on this flight.'

The reinsurance company has entrusted the legal study regarding this accident to Nepal's Pradhan & Associates Pvt. Ltd. through a Singaporean company. 

The Associates office in Lalitpur's Bakhundol had issued a notice on January 24 stating that out of the 18 who died in this air crash Punyaratna Shahi, Shyam Bindukar, Amitman Maharjan, Sarvesh Marasini, Ashwinkumar Niroula and Sagarkumar Acharya, the families of 6 have claimed compensation. "Since the claims of others have not been received, the compensation given by the reinsurance company will be given to six people in a few days," says Deepak Pokharel, president of Sourya Airlines. Officials of Pradhan & Associates Pvt. Ltd. did not want to respond saying that they do not have the right to speak about insurance and other matters.

According to the Warsaw Convention 1929 and the Hague Protocol 1995 in domestic flights in Nepal, the families of passengers who die in air accidents get 20 thousand (27 lakh 97 thousand rupees) per passenger, while the crew (pilot, cabin crew, engineer or dispatcher) get 50 thousand US dollars (69 lakh 93 thousand rupees) per person.

However, after the reinsurance company AXA XL said that the families of co-pilot Sushant Katwal and engineer Santosh Mahato who died in the accident will be compensated only 50,000 US dollars per person, the families of the remaining 16 deceased have expressed dissatisfaction. According to Pokharel, the president of Sourya, the relatives of the employees involved in the accident are demanding compensation just like the families of 'crew members'. "Some families are saying that they will go to court saying that the insurance compensation is less according to the rules, some of them will be paid next week," he says.

The plane of Sourya Airlines which was involved in the accident was 'grounded' for 34 days, which was being taken to Pokhara Regional International Airport for repairs. Prakash Kumar Khatiwada, the father of 30-year-old Preeja Khatiwada, who died in the accident, has expressed doubts about the authority's role in issuing a flight permit to a plane that has not been in flight for 34 days. 

Manuraj Sharma, IT engineer of Sourya Airlines, wife Priya and minor son Adhiraj died in the accident. "The flight of the ship that happened is illegal, the 21-year-old ship that has been grounded for 34 days is said to be flying again," Khatiwada mentioned in a letter written to the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the Parliament. They have also demanded action against the concerned authorities for making Adhiraj an adult passenger and an airline employee. "I have raised questions about 5 issues in this accident, I am in a legal battle for these issues, there should be a re-investigation of this ship accident through the Constitutional Commission," he said in a letter written to the Prime Minister on November 5.